In abstract algebra, a division ring, also called a skew field, is a ring in which division is possible. Specifically, it is a non-trivial ring in which every non-zero element a has a multiplicative inverse, i.e., an element x with a·x = x·a = 1. Stated differently, a ring is a division ring if and only if the group of units is the set of all non-zero elements.
Division rings differ from fields only in that their multiplication is not required to be commutative. However, by Wedderburn's little theorem all finite division rings are commutative and therefore finite fields. Historically, division rings were sometimes referred to as fields, while fields were called “commutative fields”.
Read more about Division Ring: Relation To Fields and Linear Algebra, Examples, Ring Theorems, Related Notions
Famous quotes containing the words division and/or ring:
“For a small child there is no division between playing and learning; between the things he or she does just for fun and things that are educational. The child learns while living and any part of living that is enjoyable is also play.”
—Penelope Leach (20th century)
“The boxers ring is the enjoyment of the part of society whose animal nature alone has been developed.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882)