Two theorems on the commutativity of arbitrary rings (Q5936968)

For a fixed positive integer \(k\), let \(f(t_1,t_2)\) be a polynomial with integer coefficients in the noncommuting indeterminates \(t_1\), \(t_2\) which can be written as \(f_1(t_1,t_2)+f_2(t_1,t_2)\), where \(f_1(t_1,t_2)\) is \(\pm t_1t_2^{k-1}\) or \(\pm t_2^{k-1}t_1\) and \(f_2(t_1,t_2)\) has no terms which are linear in \(t_1\); and define \(F(t_1,t_2)\) to be \([f(t_1,t_2),t_2]\). Let \(R\) be a ring and \(r(R)\) the set of regular elements of \(R\). It is proved that \(R\) is commutative if \(R\) satisfies the identity \(F(x,y)=0\) and either \(k=1\) or \(r(R)\neq\emptyset\). For the special cases \(f(t_1,t_2)=t_1t^{k-1}_2+mt^k_2\) and \(f(t_1,t_2)=t^{k-1}_2t_1+mt^k_2\), it is shown, again under the hypothesis that \(k=1\) or \(r(R)\neq\emptyset\), that \(R\) must be commutative if for each \(x,y\in R\) there exists \(n=n(x,y)>1\) for which \(F(x,y)^n=F(x,y)\). For \(k=1\) this result recaptures a well-known theorem of \textit{I. N. Herstein}, asserting that \(R\) must be commutative if for each \(x,y\in R\) there exists \(n=n(x,y)>1\) such that \([x,y]^n=[x,y]\) [Can. J. Math. 9, 583-586 (1957; Zbl 0079.05403)]. In Lemma 12, the hypothesis that \(r(R)\neq\emptyset\) is omitted, as is the conclusion that \(\overline R\) is not commutative.