Nullstellen and subdirect representation (Q2254592)

In 1892, \textit{D. Hilbert} [Math. Ann. 42, 313--373 (1893; JFM 25.0173.01)] proved his famous \textit{Nullstellensatz}, a solvability criterion for polynomial systems in \(n\) variables. This was linked by \textit{E. Noether} [Math. Ann. 83, 24--66 (1921; JFM 48.0121.03)] in the 1920s to the decomposition of ideals in commutative rings, which in turn led Garret Birkhoff in the 1940s to his subdirect representation theorem for general algebras [\textit{G. Birkhoff}, Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 50, 764--768 (1944; Zbl 0060.05809)]. The aim of this paper is to analyze this linkage in the most elementary terms and then, to present a general categorical framework for Birkhoff's theorem. In Section 2 the author exposes, for short, the developments of the Nullstellensatz through Hilbert, Noether and Birkhoff. He presents six versions of the theorem (HNB Theorem) as marked by these three great mathematicians and shows how their proofs are interrelated, a seventh and an eighth version of this theorem being exposed in Section 4. In Section 3 we find a discussion of the categorical notion of subdirect irreducibility. The author ``illuminates the notion by examples, both traditional and unconventional, in particular in comma categories''. He touches ``upon the dual notion only briefly, but refers the reader to substantial recent work by \textit{M. Menni} [``An exercise with sufficient cohesion'', Preprint. Universidad de La Plata (2011)] on Lawvere's concept of cohesion in this context. With a suitable notion of finitariness'' he formulates ``the all-encompassing seventh version of HNB Theorem without recurse to any limits and colimits in the ambient category. The morphism version of it leads to atypical factorizations of morphisms, in the sense that even in standard categories like that of sets one obtains factorizations of maps in a constructive manner (without recurse to choice) which, however, may not be obtained in a functorial way''.