Question

What are the additive and multiplicative identities in \(\prod R_{i}\) ? Is the map from \(R_{i}\) to \(\Pi R_{j}\) taking \(a_{i}\) to \(\left(0, \ldots, a_{i}, \ldots, 0\right.\) ) a ring homomorphism?

Short answer

The additive identity in \(\prod R_i\) is \(\left(0_1, 0_2, 0_3, \ldots\right)\), and the multiplicative identity is \(\left(1_1, 1_2, 1_3, \ldots\right)\). The given map \(f(a_i) = \left(0, \ldots, a_i, \ldots, 0\right)\) is a ring homomorphism, as it preserves both addition and multiplication.

Step-by-step solution

Determining additive and multiplicative identities in \(\prod R_i\)

The additive identity in a ring is the element that, when added to any element in the ring, yields that same element. For each component in the product, let's denote their additive identity as \(0_i\). The additive identity in \(\prod R_i\) would be the ordered tuple with each component being the additive identity of the corresponding ring: \(\left(0_1, 0_2, 0_3, \ldots\right)\). Similarly, the multiplicative identity in a ring is an element, which when multiplied with any element, yields that same element. For each component in the product, let's denote their multiplicative identity as \(1_i\). The multiplicative identity in \(\prod R_i\) would be the ordered tuple with each component being the multiplicative identity of the corresponding ring: \(\left(1_1, 1_2, 1_3, \ldots\right)\).

Determining if the given map is a ring homomorphism

Let's denote the given map as \(f: R_i \rightarrow \prod R_j\), where \(f(a_i) = \left(0, \ldots, a_i, \ldots, 0\right)\). We must check if this map: 1. Preserves addition: \(f(a+b) = f(a) + f(b)\) 2. Preserves multiplication: \(f(ab) = f(a)f(b)\) 1. Preserving addition: \(f(a_i + b_i) = \left(0, \ldots, a_i + b_i, \ldots, 0\right)\) \(f(a_i) + f(b_i) = \left(0, \ldots, a_i, \ldots, 0\right) + \left(0, \ldots, b_i, \ldots, 0\right) = \left(0, \ldots, a_i+b_i, \ldots, 0\right)\) As we can see, \(f(a_i + b_i) = f(a_i) + f(b_i)\), the given map preserves addition. 2. Preserving multiplication: \(f(a_ib_i) = \left(0, \ldots, a_ib_i, \ldots, 0\right)\) \(f(a_i)f(b_i) = \left(0, \ldots, a_i, \ldots, 0\right)\left(0, \ldots, b_i, \ldots, 0\right) = \left(0, \ldots, a_ib_i, \ldots, 0\right)\) Since \(f(a_ib_i) = f(a_i)f(b_i)\), the given map also preserves multiplication. Therefore, the map \(f\) given by \(f(a_i)=\left(0,\ldots,a_i,\ldots,0\right)\) is a ring homomorphism.

Key concepts

Additive Identity

In algebra, the additive identity is an important concept that helps define the structure of a ring. The purpose of an additive identity is to guarantee that there is an element in the ring which, when added to any other element in the ring, leaves the other element unchanged. This special element is denoted as 0, and is present in every component of a tuple in a product of rings.

In the setting of a product of rings \(\prod R_i\), where each \(R_i\) is a ring and 0 is the additive identity in each \(R_i\), the additive identity of the entire product ring is denoted by the ordered tuple

• \((0_1, 0_2, 0_3, \ldots)\): where each component \(0_i\) corresponds to the additive identity in each ring \(R_i\).

The concept assures that for any element in the product \(\prod R_i\), adding this identity tuple keeps the original element intact.
For example, if we have an element \((x_1, x_2, x_3, \ldots)\) in \(\prod R_i\), then adding the additive identity yields:

• \((x_1, x_2, x_3, \ldots) + (0_1, 0_2, 0_3, \ldots) = (x_1, x_2, x_3, \ldots)\)

As you can see, the element remains unchanged, demonstrating the purpose of the additive identity in rings.

Multiplicative Identity

Another key identity in ring theory is the multiplicative identity, which plays a crucial role in understanding how elements behave under multiplication. This identity is a special element, often denoted as 1, that, when multiplied by any element in the ring, leaves that element unchanged.

In the context of the product of rings \(\prod R_i\), the multiplicative identity is represented as a tuple where each element corresponds to the multiplicative identity of individual rings. Thus, for the product ring, the multiplicative identity is given by:

• \((1_1, 1_2, 1_3, \ldots)\): where each component \(1_i\) is the multiplicative identity for the respective \(R_i\).

We can see how this identity behaves with a similar example as for the additive identity. Consider a ring element of the form \((x_1, x_2, x_3, \ldots)\). When multiplied with the identity, it results in:

• \((x_1, x_2, x_3, \ldots) \times (1_1, 1_2, 1_3, \ldots) = (x_1, x_2, x_3, \ldots)\)

This calculation proves that multiplying any element by the multiplicative identity keeps the original element intact.

Ring Homomorphism

The concept of a ring homomorphism expands our understanding of ring structures by providing a way to map one ring into another while preserving their algebraic properties. A ring homomorphism is a function between two rings that maintains the operations of addition and multiplication.

To determine if a given map is a ring homomorphism, two properties must be verified:

• **Preservation of addition:** For a map \(f\), it must hold that \(f(a + b) = f(a) + f(b)\) for all elements \(a\) and \(b\) within the domain.
• **Preservation of multiplication:** Similarly, the map must satisfy \(f(ab) = f(a)f(b)\) for all elements \(a\) and \(b\).

In the exercise, the map from \(R_i\) to \(\prod R_j\) defined as \(f(a_i) = (0, \ldots, a_i, \ldots, 0)\) meets the criteria for a ring homomorphism:

• When checked, both addition \(f(a_i + b_i) = f(a_i) + f(b_i)\) and multiplication \(f(a_ib_i) = f(a_i)f(b_i)\) are preserved. This means that the intrinsic structure of the algebraic operations is maintained through the map.

Thus, this map successfully acts as a bridge from one ring to another while holding onto their core properties, showcasing the essence of a ring homomorphism.