Graduate Texts in Mathematics 131

Editorial Board
S. Axler F.W. Gehring K.A. Ribet

Springer-Science+Business Media, LLC

Graduate Texts in Mathematics
TAKEUTUZARING. lntroduction to 35 ALEXANDERlWERMER. Several Complex
Axiomatic Set Theory. 2nd ed. Variables and Banach Algebras. 3rd ed.
2 OXTOBY. Measure and Category. 2nd ed. 36 KELLEy!NAMIOKA et al. Linear
3 SCHAEFER. Topological Vector Spaces. Topological Spaces.
2nded. 37 MONK. Mathematical Logic.
4 HILTON/STAMMBACH. A Course in 38 GRAUERTIFRITZSCHE. Several Complex
Homological Algebra. 2nd ed. Variables.
5 MAC LANE. Categories for the Working 39 ARVESON. An lnvitation to C*-Algebras.
Mathematician. 2nd ed. 40 KEMENY/SNELLlKNAPP. Denumerable
6 HUGHEslPIPER. Projective Planes. Markov Chains. 2nd ed.
7 SERRE. A Course in Arithmetic. 41 ApOSTOL. Modular Functions and Dirichlet
8 TAKEUTUZARING. Axiomatic Set Theory. Series in Number Theory.
9 HUMPHREYS. Introduction to Lie Algebras 2nded.
and Representation Theory. 42 SERRE. Linear Representations of Finite
10 COHEN. A Course in Simple Homotopy Groups.
Theory. 43 GILLMAN/JERISON. Rings ofContinuous
Il CONWAY. Functions ofOne Complex Functions.
Variable 1. 2nd ed. 44 KENDIG. Elementary Algebraic Geometry.
12 BEALS. Advanced Mathematical Analysis. 45 LOEVE. Probability Theory 1. 4th ed.
13 ANDERSON/FuLLER. Rings and Categories 46 LoEVE. Probability Theory Il. 4th ed.
ofModules. 2nd ed. 47 MOISE. Geometric Topology in
14 GOLUBITSKy/GUILLEMIN. Stable Mappings Dimensions 2 and 3.
and Their Singularities. 48 SACHSlWu. General Relativity for
15 BERBERIAN. Lectures in Functional Mathematicians.
Analysis and Operator Theory. 49 GRUENBERGIWEIR. Linear Geometry.
16 WINTER. The Structure ofFields. 2nded.
17 ROSENBLATT. Random Processes. 2nd ed. 50 EDWARDS. Fermat's Last Theorem.
18 HALMOS. Measure Theory. 51 KLINGENBERG. A Course in Differential
19 HALMOS. A Hilbert Space Problem Book. Geometry.
2nded. 52 HARTSHORNE. Algebraic Geometry.
20 HUSEMOLLER. Fibre Bundles. 3rd ed. 53 MANIN. A Course in Mathematical Logic.
21 HUMPHREYS. Linear Algebraic Groups. 54 GRAVERIWATKINS. Combinatorics with
22 BARNES/MACK. An Algebraic Introduction Emphasis on the Theory of Graphs.
to Mathematical Logic. 55 BROWN/PEARCY. Introduction to Operator
23 GREUB. Linear Algebra. 4th ed. Theory 1: Elements of Functional
24 HOLMES. Geometric Functional Analysis Analysis.
and Its Applications. 56 MASSEY. Algebraic Topology: An
25 HEWITT/STROMBERG. Real and Abstract Introduction.
Analysis. 57 CROWELUFox. lntroduction to Knot
26 MANES. Algebraic Theories. Theory.
27 KELLEY. General Topology. 58 KOBLlTZ. p-adic Numbers, p-adic Analysis,
28 ZARISKIlSAMUEL. Commutative Algebra. and Zeta-Functions. 2nd ed.
Vol.l. 59 LANG. Cyclotomic Fields.
29 ZARISKUSAMUEL. Commutative Algebra. 60 ARNOLD. Mathematical Methods in
VoI.II. Classical Mechanics. 2nd ed.
30 JACOBSON. Lectures in Abstract Algebra 1. 61 WHITEHEAD. Elements of Homotopy
Basic Concepts. Theory.
31 JACOBSON. Lectures in Abstract Algebra Il. 62 KARGAPOLOvIMERLZJAKOV. Fundamentals
Linear Algebra. ofthe Theory of Groups.
32 JACOBSON. Lectures in Abstract Algebra 63 BOLLOBAS. Graph Theory.
III. Theory of Fields and Galois Theory. 64 EDWARDS. Fourier Series. VoI. 1. 2nd ed.
33 HIRSCH. Differential Topology. 65 WELLS. Differential Analysis on Complex
34 SPITZER. Principles of Random Walk. Manifolds. 2nd ed.
2nd ed.
(continued afler index)
T.Y. Lam

A First Course in
N oncommutative Rings
Second Edition

, Springer
T.Y. Lam
Department of Mathematics
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-0001

Editorial Board
S. Axler F. W. Gehring K.A. Ribet
Mathematics Department Mathematics Department Mathematics Department
San Francisco State East Hall University of California
University University of Michigan at Berkeley
San Francisco, CA 94132 Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Berkeley, CA 94720-3840
USA USA USA

Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 16-01, 16DlO, 16D30, 16D60

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lam, T.Y. (Tsit-Yuen), 1942-
A first course in noncommutative rings / T.Y. Lam. - 2nd ed.
p. cm. - (Graduate texts in mathematics; 131)
lncludes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-387-95325-0 ISBN 978-1-4419-8616-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-8616-0
1. Noncornrnutative rings. I. Title. II. Series.
QA251.4 .L36 2001
512'.4-dc21 00-052277

© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Originally published by Springer-Verlag New York in 2001
AII rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without
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987 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Juwen, Fumei, Juleen , and Dee-Dee

my most delightful ring

Preface to the Second Edition

The wonderful reception given to the first edition of this book by the mathe-
matical community was encouraging. It gives me much pleasure to bring out
now a new edition, exactly ten years after the book first appeared.
In the 1990s, two related projects have been completed. The first is the
problem book for "First Course" (Lam [95]), which contains the solutions of
(and commentaries on) the original 329 exercises and 71 additional ones.
The second is the intended "sequel" to this book (once called " Second
Course"), which has now appeared under the different title " Lectures on
Modules and Rings" (Lam [98]). These two other books will be useful com-
panion volumes for this one. In the present book, occasional references are
made to " Lectures" , but the former has no logical dependence on the latter.
In fact, all three books can be used essentially independently.
In this new edition of "First Course" , the entire text has been retyped,
some proofs were rewritten, and numerous improvements in the exposition
have been included. The original chapters and sections have remained un-
changed, with the exception of the addition of an Appendix (on uniserial
modules) to §20. All known typographical errors were corrected (although
no doubt a few new ones have been introduced in the process!). The original
exercises in the first edition have been replaced by the 400 exercises in the
problem book (Lam [95]), and I have added at least 30 more in this edition
for the convenience of the reader. As before, the book should be suitable as a
text for a one-semester or a full-year graduate course in noncommutative
ring theory.
I take this opportunity to thank heartily all of my students, colleagues,
and other users of "First Course" all over the world for sending in correc-
tions on the first edition, and for communicating to me their thoughts
on possible improvements in the text. Most of their suggestions have been

vii
viii Preface to the Second Edition

followed in this new edition . Needless to say, I will continue to welcome such
feedback from my readers, which can be sent to me by email at the address
"Iam @math.berkeley.edu".

T.y.L.
Berkeley, California
01/01/01
Preface to the First Edition

One of my favorite graduate courses at Berkeley is Math 251, a one-semester

course in ring theory offered to second-year level graduate students . I taught
this course in the Fall of 1983, and more recently in the Spring of 1990, both
times focusing on the theory of noncommutative rings. This book is an out-
growth of my lectures in these two courses, and is intended for use by in-
structors and graduate students in a similar one-semester course in basic ring
theory.
Ring theory is a subject of central importance in algebra. Historically ,
some of the major discoveries in ring theory have helped shape the course of
development of modem abstract algebra. Today, ring theory is a fertile
meeting ground for group theory (group rings), representation theory (mod-
ules), functional analysis (operator algebras), Lie theory (enveloping alge-
bras), algebraic geometry (finitely generated algebras, differential operators,
invariant theory), arithmetic (orders, Brauer groups) , universal algebra (va-
rieties of rings), and homological algebra (cohomology of rings, projective
modules , Grothendieck and higher K-groups) . In view of these basic con-
nections between ring theory and other branches of mathematics, it is per-
haps no exaggeration to say that a course in ring theory is an indispensable
part of the education for any fledgling algebraist.
The purpose of my lectures was to give a general introduction to the
theory of rings, building on what the students have learned from a standard
first-year graduate course in abstract algebra. We assume that, from such
a course, the students would have been exposed to tensor products, chain
conditions, some module theory , and a certain amount of commutative
algebra . Starting with these prerequisites, I designed a course dealing al-
most exclusively with the theory of noncommutative rings. In accordance
with the historical development of the subject, the course begins with the
Wedderburn-Actin theory of semisimple rings, then goes on to Jacobson's

IX
x Preface to the First Edition

general theory of the radical for rings possibly not satisfying any chain con-
ditions. After an excursion into representation theory in the style of Emmy
Noether, the course continues with the study of prime and semiprime rings,
primitive and semiprimitive rings, division rings, ordered rings, local and
semilocal rings, and finally, perfect and semiperfect rings. This material,
which was as much as I managed to cover in a one-semester course, appears
here in a somewhat expanded form as the eight chapters of this book .
Of course, the topics described above correspond only to part of the
foundations of ring theory. After my course in Fall, 1983, a self-selected
group of students from this course went on to take with me a second course
(Math 274, Topics in Algebra) , in which I taught some further basic topics in
the subject. The notes for this second course, at present only partly written ,
will hopefully also appear in the future , as a sequel to the present work. This
intended second volume will cover, among other things, the theory of mod-
ules, rings of quotients and Goldie's Theorem, noetherian rings, rings with
polynomial identities, Brauer groups and the structure theory of finite-
dimensional central simple algebras . The reasons for publishing the present
volume first are two-fold: first it will give me the opportunity to class-test the
second volume some more before it goes to press, and secondly, since the
present volume is entirely self-contained and technically indepedent of what
comes after, I believe it is of sufficient interest and merit to stand on its own.
Every author of a textbook in mathematics is faced with the inevitable
challenge to do things differently from other authors who have written earlier
on the same subject. But no doubt the number of available proofs for any
given theorem is finite, and by definition the best approach to any specific
body of mathematical knowledge is unique. Thus, no matter how hard an
author strives to appear original, it is difficult for him to avoid a certain de-
gree of "plagiarism" in the writing of a text. In the present case I am all the
more painfully aware of this since the path to basic ring theory is so well-
trodden, and so many good books have been written on the subject. If, of
necessity, I have to borrow so heavily from these earlier books, what are the
new features of this one to justify its existence?
In answer to this, I might offer the following comments. Although a good
number of books have been written on ring theory, many of them are
monographs devoted to specialized topics (e.g., group rings, division rings,
noetherian rings, von Neumann regular rings, or module theory, PI-theory,
radical theory, loalization theory). A few others offer general surveys of the
subject, and are encyclopedic in nature. If an instructor tries to look for an
introductory graduate text for a one-semester (or two-semester) course in
ring theory , the choices are still surprisingly few. It is hoped , therefore, that
the present book (and its sequel) will add to this choice. By aiming the level
of writing at the novice rather than the connoisseur, we have sought to pro-
duce a text which is suitable not only for use in a graduate course, but also
for self-study in the subject by interested graduate students.
Since this book is a by-product of my lectures, it certainly reflects much
Preface to the First Edition xi

more on my teaching style and my personal taste in ring theory than on ring
theory itself. In a graduate course one has only a limited number of lectures
at one's disposal, so there is the need to " get to the point" as quickly as
possible in the presentation of any material. This perhaps explains the often
business-like style in the resulting lecture notes appearing here. Nevertheless,
we are fully cognizant of the importance of motivation and examples, and
we have tried hard to ensure that they don't play second fiddle to theorems
and proofs. As far as the choice of the material is concerned, we have per-
haps given more than the usual emphasis to a few of the famous open
problems in ring theory, for instance, the Kothe Conjecture for rings with
zero upper nilradical (§IO), the semiprimitivity problem and the zero-divisor
problem for group rings (§6), etc. The fact that these natural and very easily
stated problems have remained unsolved for so long seemed to have cap-
tured the students' imagination. A few other possibly "unusual" topics are
included in the text: for instance, noncommutative ordered rings are treated
in §17, and a detailed exposition of the Mal'cev-Neumann construction of
general Laurent series rings is given in §14. Such material is not easily
available in standard textbooks on ring theory, so we hope its inclusion here
will be a useful addition to the literature.
There are altogether twenty five sections in this book, which are consec-
utively numbered independently of the chapters. Results in Section x will be
labeled in the form (x.y). Each section is equipped with a collection of ex-
ercises at the end. In almost all cases, the exercises are perfectly "doable"
problems which build on the text material in the same section. Some ex-
ercises are accompanied by copious hints; however, the more self-reliant
readers should not feel obliged to use these.
As I have mentioned before, in writing up these lecture notes I have con-
sulted extensively the existing books on ring theory, and drawn material
from them freely. Thus lowe a great literary debt to many earlier authors in
the field. My graduate classes in Fall 1983 and Spring 1990 at Berkeley were
attended by many excellent students; their enthusiasm for ring theory made
the class a joy to teach, and their vigilance has helped save me from many
slips. I take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the role they
played in making these notes possible. A number of friends and colleagues
have given their time generously to help me with the manuscript. It is my
great pleasure to thank especially Detlev Hoffmann, Andre Leroy, Ka-Hin
Leung, Mike May, Dan Shapiro, Tara Smith and Jean-Pierre Tignol for
their valuable comments, suggestions, and corrections. Of course, the re-
sponsibility for any flaws or inaccuracies in the exposition remains my own.
As mathematics editor at Springer-Verlag, Ulrike Schmickler-Hirzebruch
has been most understanding of an author's plight, and deserves a word of
special thanks for bringing this long overdue project to fruition. Keyboarder
Kate MacDougall did an excellent job in transforming my handwritten
manuscript into LaTex, and the Production Department's efficient handling
of the entire project has been exemplary.
xii Preface to the First Edition

Last, first, and always, lowe the greatest debt to members of my family.
My wife Chee-King graciously endured yet another book project, and our
four children bring cheers and joy into my life. Whatever inner strength I can
muster in my various endeavors is in large measure a result of their love,
devotion , and unstinting support.

T.Y.L.
Berkeley, California
November, 1990
Contents

Preface to the Second Edition vii

Preface to the First Edition ix

Notes to the Reader xvii

CHAPTER 1
Wedderburn-Artin Theory
§1. Basic Terminology and Examples 2
Exercises for §I 22
§2. Semisimplicity 25
Exercises for §2 29
§3. Structure of Semisimple Rings 30
Exercises for §3 45

CHAPTER 2
Jacobson Radical Theory 48
§4. The Jacobson Radical 50
Exercises for §4 63
§5. Jacobson Radical Under Change of Rings 67
Exercises for §5 77
§6. Group Rings and the J-Semisimplicity Problem 78
Exercises for §6 98

CHAPTER 3
Introduction to Representation Theory 101
§7. Modules over Finite-Dimensional Algebras 102
Exercises for §7 116

Xlli
xiv Contents

§8. Representations of Groups 117

Exercises for §8 137
§9. Linear Groups 141
Exercises for §9 152

CHAPTER 4
Prime and Primitive Rings 153
§1O. The Prime Radical; Prime and Semiprime Rings 154
Exercises for §10 168
§11. Structure of Primitive Rings; the Density Theorem 171
Exercises for §ll 188
§12. Subdirect Products and Commutativity Theorems 191
Exercises for §12 198

CHAPTER 5
Introduction to Division Rings 202
§13. Division Rings 203
Exercises for §13 214
§14. Some Classical Constructions 216
Exercises for §14 235
§15. Tensor Products and Maximal Subfields 238
Exercises for §15 247
§16. Polynomials over Division Rings 248
Exercises for §16 258

CHAPTER 6
Ordered Structures in Rings 261
§17. Orderings and Preorderings in Rings 262
Exercises for §17 269
§18. Ordered Division Rings 270
Exercises for §18 276

CHAPTER 7
Local Rings , Semilocal Rings, and Idempotents 279

§19. Local Rings 279

Exercises for §19 293
§20. Semilocal Rings 296
Appendix : Endomorphism Rings of Uniserial Modules 302
Exercises for §20 306
§21. Th Theory ofIdempotents 308
Exercises for §21 322
§22. Central Idempotents and Block Decompositions 326
Exercises for §22 333
Contents xv

CHAPTER 8
Perfect and Semiperfect Rings 335
§23. Perfect and Semiperfect Rings 336
Exercises for §23 346
§24. Homological Characterizations of Perfect and Semiperfect Rings 347
Exercises for §24 358
§25. Principal Indecomposables and Basic Rings 359
Exercises for §25 368

References 370

Name Index 373

Subject Index 377

Notes to the Reader

As we have explained in the Preface, the twenty five sections in this book are
numbered independently of the eight chapters. A cross-reference such as
(12.7) refers to the result so labeled in §12. On the other hand, Exercise 12.7
will refer to Exercise 7 appearing at the end of §12. In referring to an exercise
appearing (or to appear) in the same section, we shall sometimes drop the
section number from the reference. Thus, when we refer to "Exercise 7"
anywhere within §12, we shall mean Exercise 12.7.
Since this is an exposition and not a treatise, the writing is by no means
encyclopedic. In particular, in most places, no systematic attempt is made to
give attributions, or to trace the results discussed to their original sources.
References to a book or a paper are given only sporadically where they seem
more essential to the material under consideration . A reference in brackets
such as Amitsur [56] (or [Amitsur: 56]) shall refer to the 1956 paper of
Amitsur listed in the reference section at the end of the book.
Occasionally, references will be made to the intended sequel of this book,
which will be briefly called Lectures. Such references will always be periph-
eral in nature ; their only purpose is to point to material which lies ahead . In
particular, no result in this book will depend logically on any result to ap-
pear later in Lectures.
Throughout the text, we use the standard notations of modern mathe-
matics. For the reader's convenience, a partial list of the notations com-
monly used in basic algebra and ring theory is given on the following pages.

xvii
xviii Notes to the Reader

Some Frequently Used Notations

ring of integers
field of rational numbers
field of real numbers
field of complex numbers
finite field with q elements
set of n x n matrices with entries from S
c ,~ used interchangeably for inclusion
s; strict inclusion
IAI, Card A used interchangeably for the cardinality of the set A
A\B set-theoretic difference
A-B surjective mapping from A onto B
6ij Kronecker deltas
Eij matrix units
tr trace (of a matrix or a field element)
<x) cyclic group generated by x
Z(G) center of the group (or the ring) G
CG(A) centralizer of A in G
[G :H] index of subgroup H in a group G
[K:F] field extension degree
[K : D]t , [K : D], left, right dimensions of K 2 D as D-vector space
KG G-fixed points on K
MR,RN right R-module M, left R-module N
M®RN tensor product of M R and RN
HomR(M ,N) group of R-homomorphisms from M to N
EndR(M) ring of R-endomorphisms of M
nM (or Mn) M EB . . . EB M (n times)
I1Ri direct product of the rings {Ri }
charR characteristic of a ring R
U(R) ,R* group of units of the ring R
U(D) , D*, iJ multiplicative group of the division ring D
GLn(R) group of invertible n x n matrices over R
GL(V) group of linear automorphisms of a vector space V
radR Jacobson radical of R
Nil*(R) upper nilradical of R
Nil*(R) lower nilradical (or prime radical) of R
Nil R ideal of nilpotent elements in a commutative ring R
annt(S), ann,(S) left, right annihilators of the set S
kG,k[G] (semi)group ring of the (semi)group G over the ring k
k[Xi: iEI] polynomial ring over k with (commuting) variables
{Xi : iEI}
kcx, : iEI) free ring over k generated by {Xi : i EI}
Notes to the Reader xix

ACC ascending chain condition

DCC descending chain condition
LHS left-hand side
RHS right-hand side