Fracpairs and fractions over a reduced commutative ring

DOI10.1016/J.INDAG.2016.01.007zbMATH Open1348.13012arXiv1411.4410OpenAlexW2269907218MaRDI QIDQ297980FDOQ297980

Authors: J. A. Bergstra, Alban Ponse 

Publication date: 20 June 2016

Published in: Indagationes Mathematicae. New Series (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: In the well-known construction of the field of fractions of an integral domain, division by zero is excluded. We introduce "fracpairs" as pairs subject to laws consistent with the use of the pair as a fraction, but do not exclude denominators to be zero. We investigate fracpairs over a reduced commutative ring (a commutative ring that has no nonzero nilpotent elements) and provide these with natural definitions for addition, multiplication, and additive and multiplicative inverse. We find that modulo a simple congruence these fracpairs constitute a "common meadow", which is a commutative monoid both for addition and multiplication, extended with a weak additive inverse, a multiplicative inverse except for zero, and an additional element "a" that is the image of the multiplicative inverse on zero and that propagates through all operations. Considering "a" as an error-value supports the intuition. The equivalence classes of fracpairs thus obtained are called common cancellation fractions (cc-fractions), and cc-fractions over the integers constitute a homomorphic pre-image of the common meadow Qa, the field Q of rational numbers expanded with an a-totalized inverse. Moreover, the initial common meadow is isomorphic to the initial algebra of cc-fractions over the integer numbers. Next, we define canonical term algebras for cc-fractions over the integers and some meadows that model the rational numbers expanded with a totalized inverse, and provide some negative results concerning their associated term rewriting properties. Then we consider reduced commutative rings in which the sum of two squares plus one cannot be a zero divisor: by extending the equivalence relation on fracpairs we obtain an initial algebra that is isomorphic to Qa. Finally, we express negative conjectures concerning alternative specifications for these (concrete) datatypes.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1411.4410

Recommendations

• Transformation of fractions into simple fractions in divisive meadows
• Rings of fractions and localization
• Fields, Meadows and Abstract Data Types
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 23442
• Meadows and the equational specification of division

zbMATH Keywords

term rewritingabstract datatypecommon meadowdivision by zerofraction as a pairrational numbers

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Structure, classification theorems for modules and ideals in commutative rings (13C05) Grammars and rewriting systems (68Q42) Finite generation, finite presentability, normal forms (diamond lemma, term-rewriting) (16S15)

Cites Work

• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Termination orderings for associative-commutative rewriting systems
• The rational numbers as an abstract data type
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Inversive meadows and divisive meadows
• Equational specifications, complete term rewriting systems, and computable and semicomputable algebras
• Rewrite systems for natural, integral, and rational arithmetic
• The initial meadows
• Division by zero in common meadows

Cited In (11)

• Partial arithmetical data types of rational numbers and their equational specification
• Which arithmetical data types admit fracterm flattening?
• Symmetric transrationals: the data type and the algorithmic degree of its equational theory
• The determination of when the fractions of \({Z_n}\) are fields
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Datatype defining rewrite systems for naturals and integers
• Arithmetical datatypes with true fractions
• Logical models of mathematical texts: the case of conventions for division by zero.
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Eager Equality for Rational Number Arithmetic
• The wheel of rational numbers as an abstract data type

This page was built for publication: Fracpairs and fractions over a reduced commutative ring

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q297980)