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Concept
Total ring of fractions
Summary
In abstract algebra, the total quotient ring or total ring of fractions is a construction that generalizes the notion of the field of fractions of an integral domain to commutative rings R that may have zero divisors. The construction embeds R in a larger ring, giving every non-zero-divisor of R an inverse in the larger ring. If the homomorphism from R to the new ring is to be injective, no further elements can be given an inverse.
Let be a commutative ring and let be the set of elements which are not zero divisors in ; then is a multiplicatively closed set. Hence we may localize the ring at the set to obtain the total quotient ring .
If is a domain, then and the total quotient ring is the same as the field of fractions. This justifies the notation , which is sometimes used for the field of fractions as well, since there is no ambiguity in the case of a domain.
Since in the construction contains no zero divisors, the natural map is injective, so the total quotient ring is an extension of .
For a product ring A × B, the total quotient ring Q(A × B) is the product of total quotient rings Q(A) × Q(B). In particular, if A and B are integral domains, it is the product of quotient fields.
For the ring of holomorphic functions on an open set D of complex numbers, the total quotient ring is the ring of meromorphic functions on D, even if D is not connected.
In an Artinian ring, all elements are units or zero divisors. Hence the set of non-zero-divisors is the group of units of the ring, , and so . But since all these elements already have inverses, .
In a commutative von Neumann regular ring R, the same thing happens. Suppose a in R is not a zero divisor. Then in a von Neumann regular ring a = axa for some x in R, giving the equation a(xa − 1) = 0. Since a is not a zero divisor, xa = 1, showing a is a unit. Here again, .
In algebraic geometry one considers a sheaf of total quotient rings on a scheme, and this may be used to give the definition of a Cartier divisor.
Let A be a reduced ring that has only finitely many minimal prime ideals, (e.
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