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Algebra Difficulty 7.1 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Romania

a) Prove that, if a ring (A,+,)(A, +, \cdot) has property (P) and a,ba, b are distinct elements of AA such that aa and a+ba+b are invertible, then bb is not invertible, but 1+ab1+ab is invertible.

b) Give an example of a unitary ring possessing (P).

where property (P) is:
(P){the set A has at least 4 elements,the element 1+1 is invertible in A,x+x4=x2+x3, for any xA. (P) \quad \left\{ \begin{array}{l} \text{the set } A \text{ has at least 4 elements,} \\ \text{the element } 1+1 \text{ is invertible in } A, \\ x+x^4 = x^2+x^3, \text{ for any } x \in A. \end{array} \right.

Solution

Denote U(A)U(A) the set of invertible elements in AA. For kNk \in \mathbb{N}, k2k \ge 2, and xAx \in A, define kx=x+x++xk termskx = \underbrace{x+x+\cdots+x}_{k \text{ terms}}. In particular k1=kk \cdot 1 = k. By the given conditions 2U(A)2 \in U(A). Denote by (1) the equality x+x4=x2+x3x+x^4 = x^2+x^3 for all xAx \in A.

Changing xx by x-x in (1) we get x+x4=x2x3-x+x^4 = x^2-x^3, for any xAx \in A.

By subtraction, the last two relations give 2x=2x32x = 2x^3, so, as 2U(A)2 \in U(A), we obtain x=x3x = x^3 for all xAx \in A.

For xU(A)x \in U(A), multiplying by x1x^{-1} we get x2=1x^2 = 1 for any xU(A)x \in U(A). As the set U(A)U(A), of the invertible elements of the monoid (A,)(A, \cdot), is a group with x2=1x^2 = 1, for any xU(A)x \in U(A), it results that the group (U(A),)(U(A), \cdot) is commutative.

For x=2U(A)x = 2 \in U(A) from the previous relations, we get 4=14 = 1, so 3=03 = 0, meaning that the ring AA is of characteristic 33.

Let a,bAa, b \in A, such that aba \neq b and a,a+bU(A)a, a+b \in U(A). If we suppose bU(A)b \in U(A), then
2ab=(a+b)2a2b2=111=1=2, 2ab = (a+b)^2 - a^2 - b^2 = 1 - 1 - 1 = -1 = 2,
implying ab=1=a2ab = 1 = a^2. This gives a=ba = b, a contradiction. That is bU(A)b \notin U(A).

We also have
1+ab=a2+ab=a(a+b)U(A), 1 + ab = a^2 + ab = a(a+b) \in U(A),
a product of invertible elements.

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