Zero divisor

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In abstract algebra, an element a of a ring R is called a left zero divisor if there exists a
nonzero x such that ax = 0,[1] or equivalently if the map from R to R that sends x to ax is not
injective.[2] Similarly, an element a of a ring is called a right zero divisor if there exists a
nonzero y such that ya = 0. This is a partial case of divisibility in rings. An element that is a left or a
right zero divisor is simply called a zero divisor.[3] An element a that is both a left and a right zero
divisor is called a two-sided zero divisor (the nonzero x such that ax = 0 may be different from the
nonzero y such that ya = 0). If the ring is commutative, then the left and right zero divisors are the
same.
An element of a ring that is not a zero divisor is called regular, or a non-zero-divisor. A zero divisor
that is nonzero is called a nonzero zero divisor or a nontrivial zero divisor.
Contents
[hide]

1Examples
1.1One-sided zero-divisor

2Non-examples

3Properties

4Zero as a zero divisor

5Zero divisor on a module

6See also

7Notes

8References

Examples[edit]

In the ring

The only zero divisor of the ring

A nilpotent element of a nonzero ring is always a two-sided zero divisor.

, the residue class

is a zero divisor since

of integers is 0.

An idempotent element

Examples of zero divisors in the ring of

of a ring is always a two-sided zero divisor, since

matrices (over any nonzero ring) are shown

here:

A direct product of two or more nonzero rings always has nonzero zero divisors. For
example, in R1 R2 with each Ri nonzero, (1,0)(0,1) = (0,0), so (1,0) is a zero divisor.

One-sided zero-divisor[edit]

Consider the ring of (formal) matrices

and

. If

since
of

Let

, then

with
is a left zero divisor iff

; and it is a right zero divisor iff

is

and

. Then
is even,

is even for similar reasons. If either

, then it is a two-sided zero-divisor.

Here is another example of a ring with an element that is a zero divisor on one side only.
be the set of all sequences of integers
. Take for the ring alladditive

maps from

to

, with pointwise addition and composition as the ring

operations. (That is, our ring is

group
shift

, the endomorphism ring of the additive

.) Three examples of elements of this ring are the right shift

, and theprojection map onto the first factor

maps are not zero, and the composites

and

, the left

. All three of these additive

are both zero, so

is a

left zero divisor and

to

. However,

the composite
since

is a right zero divisor in the ring of additive maps from

is not a right zero divisor and
is the identity. Note also that

, while

is not a left zero divisor:

is a two-sided zero-divisor

is not in any direction.

Non-examples[edit]

The ring of integers modulo a prime number has no zero divisors other than 0. Since every
nonzero element is a unit, this ring is a field.

More generally, a division ring has no zero divisors except 0.

A nonzero commutative ring whose only zero divisor is 0 is called an integral domain.

Properties[edit]

In the ring of n-by-n matrices over a field, the left and right zero divisors coincide; they are
precisely the singular matrices. In the ring of n-by-n matrices over an integral domain, the zero
divisors are precisely the matrices with determinant zero.

Left or right zero divisors can never be units, because if a is invertible and ax = 0, then 0
= a 0 = a1ax = x, whereas x must be nonzero.
1

Zero as a zero divisor[edit]

There is no need for a separate convention regarding the case a = 0, because the definition applies
also in this case:

If R is a ring other than the zero ring, then 0 is a (two-sided) zero divisor, because 0 1 =
0 and 1 0 = 0.

If R is the zero ring, in which 0 = 1, then 0 is not a zero divisor, because there is
no nonzero element that when multiplied by 0 yields 0.

Such properties are needed in order to make the following general statements true:

In a commutative ring R, the set of non-zero-divisors is a multiplicative set in R. (This, in turn,

is important for the definition of the total quotient ring.) The same is true of the set of non-leftzero-divisors and the set of non-right-zero-divisors in an arbitrary ring, commutative or not.

In a commutative Noetherian ring R, the set of zero divisors is the union of the associated
prime ideals of R.

Some references choose to exclude 0 as a zero divisor by convention, but then they must introduce
exceptions in the two general statements just made.

Zero divisor on a module[edit]

Let R be a commutative ring, let M be an R-module, and let a be an element of R. One says
that a is M-regular if the multiplication by a map
is injective, and that a is a zero divisor

on M otherwise.[4] The set of M-regular elements is a multiplicative set in R.[5]

Specializing the definitions of "M-regular" and "zero divisor on M" to the case M = R recovers the
definitions of "regular" and "zero divisor" given earlier in this article.

See also[edit]

Zero-product property

Glossary of commutative algebra (Exact zero divisor)

Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ See Bourbaki, p. 98.
2. Jump up^ Since the map is not injective, we have ax = ay, in which x differs from y, and thus a(x-y) =
0.
3. Jump up^ See Lanski (2005).
4. Jump up^ Matsumura, p. 12
5. Jump up^ Matsumura, p. 12

References[edit]

N. Bourbaki (1989), Algebra I, Chapters 13, Springer-Verlag.

Hazewinkel, Michiel, ed. (2001), "Zero divisor", Encyclopedia of

Mathematics, Springer, ISBN 978-1-55608-010-4

Michiel Hazewinkel; Nadiya Gubareni; Nadezhda Mikhalovna Gubareni; Vladimir V.

Kirichenko. (2004), Algebras, rings and modules, Vol. 1, Springer, ISBN 1-4020-2690-0

Charles Lanski (2005), Concepts in Abstract Algebra, American Mathematical Soc., p. 342

Hideyuki Matsumura (1980), Commutative algebra, 2nd edition, The Benjamin/Cummings

Publishing Company, Inc.
Weisstein, Eric W., "Zero Divisor", MathWorld.