6. PID and UFD Let R Be a Commutative Ring. Recall That a Non-Unit X ∈ R Is Called Irreducible If X Cannot Be Written As A
6. PID and UFD Let R be a commutative ring. Recall that a non-unit x R is called irreducible if x cannot be written as a product of two non-unit elements of R i.e.∈x = ab implies either a is an unit or b is an unit. Also recall that a domain R is called a principal ideal domain or a PID if every ideal in R can be generated by one element, i.e. is principal. 6.1. Lemma. (a) Let R be a commutative domain. Then prime elements in R are irreducible. (b) Let R be a PID. Then an irreducible in R is a prime element. Proof. (a) Let (p) be a prime ideal in R. If possible suppose p = uv.Thenuv (p), so either u (p)orv (p), if u (p), then u = cp,socv = 1, that is v is an unit. Similarly,∈ if v (p), then∈ u is an∈ unit. ∈ ∈(b) Let p R be irreducible. Suppose ab (p). Since R is a PID, the ideal (a, p)hasa generator, say∈ x, that is, (x)=(a, p). Then ∈p (x), so p = xu for some u R. Since p is irreducible, either u or x must be an unit and we∈ consider these two cases seperately:∈ In the first case, when u is an unit, then x = u−1p,soa (x) (p), that is, p divides a.Inthe second case, when x is a unit, then (a, p)=(1).So(∈ ab,⊆ pb)=(b). But (ab, pb) (p). So (b) (p), that is p divides b.
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