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Does a module (over a commutative ring) always possess a minimal generating set? When the module is not finitely generated, the typical Zorn's lemma type argument doesn't seem to work. More precisely, if $(S_{\alpha})_{\alpha}$ is a chain of generating subsets of a module $M$, $M=\cap _ {\alpha}(S _ {\alpha})\supset (\cap_{\alpha}S_{\alpha})$ is not in general (I think) equality (the parentheses in the last equation indicate submodule generated by).

flag	asked Jul 27 2010 at 16:14 ashpool 1,419●4●16

Martin Brandenburg · Accepted Answer · 2010-07-27 16:27:06Z UTC

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$\mathbb{Q}$, as a $\mathbb{Z}$-module, has no minimal generating set.

By the way, in the paper "A characterization of left perfect rings" by Yiqiang Zhou, it is proven that a ring $R$ is left perfect if and only if every generating set of some $R$-module contains a minimal generating set.

answered Jul 27 2010 at 16:27

Martin Brandenburg
29.5k●2●47●133

Wouldn't {$\frac{1}{p} \ $|$\ p \mbox{ a positive prime integer }$ } be a minimal generating set of $\mathbb{Q}$? – ashpool Jul 27 2010 at 16:49

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@kwan: No; e.g., $\frac{1}{4}$ is not in the subgroup generated by your system of elements. Note that a somewhat easier example to think about is $\mathbb{Q}_p$ as a $\mathbb{Z}_p$-module: in this case, a generating set is a collection of elements of arbitrarily small $p$-adic valuation, but given any such set, any finite number of elements may be removed while retaining a generating set. – Pete L. Clark Jul 27 2010 at 17:08

Your remark about perfect rings is interesting! Thanks. – S1 Jul 27 2010 at 17:33

Or take $\mathbb{Q}_p/\mathbb{Z}_p$ as a $\mathbb{Z}$-module: every proper submodule is cyclic, but the module itself is not finitely generated. – Victor Protsak Jul 27 2010 at 18:19

Existence of a minimal generating set of a module

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