Search

Abstract: A theorem from commutative algebra due to Köthe and Cohen-Kaplansky states that, “a commutative ring R has the property that every R-module is a direct sum of cyclic modules if and only if R is an Artinian principal ideal ring”. Therefore, an interesting natural question of this sort is “whether the same is true if one only assumes that every ideal is a direct sum of cyclic modules?” The goal of this paper is to answer this question in the case R is a finite direct product of commutative Noetherian local rings. The structure of such rings is completely described. In particular, this yields characterizations of all commutative Artinian rings with this property. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we offer a general Prime Ideal Principle for proving that certain ideals in a commutative ring are prime. This leads to a direct and uniform treatment of a number of standard results on prime ideals in commutative algebra, due to Krull, Cohen, Kaplansky, Herstein, Isaacs, McAdam, D.D. Anderson, and others. More significantly, the simple nature of this Prime Ideal Principle enables us to generate a large number of hitherto unknown results of the “maximal implies prime” variety. The key notions used in our uniform approach to such prime ideal problems are those of Oka families and Ako families of ideals in a commutative ring, defined in (2.1) and (2.2). Much of this work has also natural interpretations in terms of categories of cyclic modules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]