de

rale de Lausanne
Ecole Polytechnique Fe
partement de mathe
matiques
De
Prof. E. Bayer Fluckiger
Algebra for digital communications
Section de syst`emes de communication

winter semester 2004-2005

Solutions to exercise sheet 4

9.11.03

Exercise 1
The element 1 x is a unit since
(1 x)(1 + x + . . . + xn1 ) = 1.
The element 1 + x is a unit since
(1 + x)(1 x + x2 x3 . . . xn1 ) = 1.
Exercise 2
We have
1. 3 7 = 21 0(mod 21). It is thus a zero divisor.
2. Since (5, 21) = 1, 5 is a unit. Using a Bezout relation, we have 1 = 21 5 4. The inverse
of 5 is thus 4 17 (mod 21).
3. 5 5 = 25 0(mod 25). It is thus a zero divisor.
4. Since (12, 23) = 1, 12 is a unit. Using a Bezout relation, we have 1 = 23 + 2 12. The
inverse of 12 is thus 2 (mod 23).
Exercise 3
We check that Im(f ) fullfills the definition of a subring.
1B Im(f ) : true since f (1A ) = 1B by definition of ring homomorphism.
a Im(f ) a Im(f ) : since a Im(f ), there exists x A such that f (x) = a. Thus
a = f (x) = f (x), par la Proposition 3.19. du polycopie.
a, b Im(f ) a + b Im(f ) : since a, b Im(f ), there exist x, y A such that f (x) = a,
f (y) = b. Thus a + b = f (x) + f (y) = f (x + y) by definition of ring homomorphism.
a, b Im(f ) ab Im(f ) : since a, b Im(f ), there exist x, y A such that f (x) = a,
f (y) = b. Thus ab = f (x)f (y) = f (xy) by definition of ring homomorphism.
Exercise 4
1. Let a and b such that a b (mod n). We show that f (a) = f (b) : write a = r + kn and
b = r + ln with r < n. We thus have
f (a) = r + kn (mod m) r (mod m) r + ln (mod m) = f (b)
since n 0 (mod m).
2. Let a, b Z/nZ. We check that f (a + b) = f (a) + f (b), since congruence modulo m respects
addition, and f (a b) = f (a) f (b) since congruence modulo m respects multiplication. We
also check that f (1) = 1 since 1 1 (mod k) for all k Z. Notice then that f (0) = f (ln)
0 (mod m), since m|n.
The homomorphism is onto : consider the class [a]n of any element [a]m Z/mZ in Z/nZ
and we have f ([a]n ) = [a]m .

3. By hypothesis, m|n so that n = km. We choose a system of representatives for Z/nZ, for
example the canonical system {1, 2, . . . , n = 0}. By definition of f , the only elements such
that f (a) = 0 are those of the form {m, 2m, . . . , km = n = 0}. Thus the cardinality of the
n
kernel is k = m
. Consequently this homomorphism is one-to-one only if n = m.
4. The units of Z/nZ are the elements prime to n. Since m|n, these elements are also prime
to m, so that their images are units of Z/mZ.
5. If we remove the condition m|n, such a homomorphism does not always exist. A counterexample is given by n = 4, m = 3 : in order for g to be a homomorphism, we need g(1) = 1,
so that g(2) = g(1+1) = g(1)+g(1) = 1+1 = 2 and g(3) = g(2+1) = g(2)+g(1) = 2+1 = 0.
But we also need g(2) = g(2 3) = g(2) g(3) = 2 0 = 0, which is absurd.
Challenge Exercise 1
Clearly R R[X] . We need to show that the inclusion is strict, that this, there exists an
element in R[X] which is not in R . Take f (X) = 1 aX. We have
(1 aX)(1 + aX + (aX)2 + . . . + (aX)n1 ) = 1,
and f does not belong to R .