Covering rings by proper ideals

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Chen, Malcolm Hoong Wai, Swartz, Eric, Werner, Nicholas J.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866910033959190528
author Chen, Malcolm Hoong Wai
Swartz, Eric
Werner, Nicholas J.
author_facet Chen, Malcolm Hoong Wai
Swartz, Eric
Werner, Nicholas J.
contents A cover by left ideals of an associative (not necessarily commutative or unital) ring $R$ is a collection of proper left ideals whose set-theoretic union equals $R$. If such a cover exists, then $η_\ell(R)$ is the cardinality of a minimal cover, and $R$ is $η_\ell$-elementary if $η_\ell(R)<η_\ell(R/I)$ for every nonzero two-sided ideal $I$ of $R$. We classify all $η_\ell$-elementary rings, and determine their covering numbers. Covers by right or two-sided ideals are also studied. This completely characterizes rings admitting finite covers by ideals. Our results generalize to finite covers of modules by submodules, and we determine all possible covering numbers.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_18915
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Covering rings by proper ideals
Chen, Malcolm Hoong Wai
Swartz, Eric
Werner, Nicholas J.
Rings and Algebras
Combinatorics
16P10 (Primary) 16N40, 05E16 (Secondary)
A cover by left ideals of an associative (not necessarily commutative or unital) ring $R$ is a collection of proper left ideals whose set-theoretic union equals $R$. If such a cover exists, then $η_\ell(R)$ is the cardinality of a minimal cover, and $R$ is $η_\ell$-elementary if $η_\ell(R)<η_\ell(R/I)$ for every nonzero two-sided ideal $I$ of $R$. We classify all $η_\ell$-elementary rings, and determine their covering numbers. Covers by right or two-sided ideals are also studied. This completely characterizes rings admitting finite covers by ideals. Our results generalize to finite covers of modules by submodules, and we determine all possible covering numbers.
title Covering rings by proper ideals
topic Rings and Algebras
Combinatorics
16P10 (Primary) 16N40, 05E16 (Secondary)
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.18915