An answer to a question of M. Newman on matrix completion

Abstract

Let <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper R"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>R</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">R</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> be a principal ideal ring, <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> a symmetric <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="t"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">t</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>-by-<inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="t"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">t</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> matrix over <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper R"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>R</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">R</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>, <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper B"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>B</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">B</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> a <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="t"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">t</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>-by-<inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="left-parenthesis n minus t right-parenthesis"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:mo>−<!-- − --></mml:mo> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">(n - t)</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> matrix over <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper R"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>R</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">R</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> such that the <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="t"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">t</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>-by-<inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="n"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">n</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> matrix <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="left-parenthesis upper A comma upper B right-parenthesis"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:mo>,</mml:mo> <mml:mi>B</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">(A,B)</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is primitive. Newman [<bold>2</bold>] proved that <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="left-parenthesis upper A comma upper B right-parenthesis"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:mo>,</mml:mo> <mml:mi>B</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">(A,B)</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> may be completed (as the first <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="t"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">t</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> rows) to a symmetric <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="n"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">n</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>-by-<inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="n"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">n</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> matrix of determinant 1, provided that <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="1 less-than-or-equal-to t less-than-or-equal-to n slash 3"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>≤<!-- ≤ --></mml:mo> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mo>≤<!-- ≤ --></mml:mo> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">1 \leq t \leq n/3</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>. He showed that the result is false, in general, if <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="t equals n slash 2"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">t = n/2</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>, and he asked to determine all values of <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="t"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">t</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> such that <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="1 less-than-or-equal-to t less-than-or-equal-to n"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>≤<!-- ≤ --></mml:mo> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mo>≤<!-- ≤ --></mml:mo> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">1 \leq t \leq n</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> and the result holds. It is shown here that these values are exactly <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="t"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">t</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> satisfying <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="1 less-than-or-equal-to t less-than-or-equal-to n slash 2"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>≤<!-- ≤ --></mml:mo> <mml:mi>t</mml:mi> <mml:mo>≤<!-- ≤ --></mml:mo> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">1 \leq t \leq n/2</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>. Moreover, the result is proved for a larger (than the principal ideal rings) class of commutative rings, namely, for the rings satisfying the second stable range condition of Bass [<bold>1</bold>]. Also, it is observed that Theorems 2 and 3 of [<bold>2</bold>, p. 40] proved there for principal ideal rings are true for this larger class of rings, as well as the basic result of [<bold>2</bold>, p. 39].

Locations

• Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society - View - PDF