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A (unital) ring $R$ with the property that every element other than the identity $1_R$ is a (two-sided) zero divisor, seems to be commonly called a "$0$-ring" or "$\mathcal O$-ring". These rings were …

Dirichlet's unit theorem states that (i) the group of units, $\mathscr{U}_K$, of the ring of integers of a number field $K$ is finitely generated, and (ii) the rank of $\mathscr{U}_K$ is equal to $r_1 …

Let $X$ and $Y$ be sets. It is undecidable in ZFC whether $2^{|X|} = 2^{|Y|}$ implies $|X| = |Y|$ (in Cohen's original model for ZFC + $\neg$CH, one has $2^{\aleph_0} = 2^{\aleph_1}$). What if we rest …

This morning, I made a comment to a comment to a question of Ayman Moussa, only to point out that, among many others, there is an elementary proof of Dirichlet's theorem on the existence of infinitely …

[Sorry for answering my own question, and the more so because this is happening for the second time in 24 hours.] The question might be open. In fact, a positive answer would imply an equally positive …

We say that a group $(A, \cdot)$ is bi-orderable if there exists a total order $\preceq$ on $A$ such that $xz \prec yz$ and $zx \prec zy$ for all $x,y,z \in A$ with $x \prec y$. Let $m,n$ be non-zero …

Given a set $X \subseteq \mathbf N^+$, denote by $\mathsf{d}_\ast(X)$ and $\mathsf{d}^\ast(X)$, respectively, the lower and upper asymptotic (or natural) density of $X$, viz. $$\mathsf{d}_\ast(X) := \ …

Motivated by a problem in factorization theory, I've recently proved the following: Theorem. If $X$ is a non-empty finite alphabet and $\mathcal W$ an infinite subset of the free semigroup, $X^\as …

I shared the link to this thread with several colleagues, inviting them to contribute to the discussion. Notably, I received a response from Melvyn Nathanson himself, most of which is reproduced below …

It is a result of folklore that the natural density of a set $X$ of positive integers such that $\sum_{x \in X} \frac{1}{x} < \infty$ is zero. This is reproved, e.g., in T. Šalát's paper: Convergence …

There is a classical result commonly attributed to W. Sierpiński that reads as follows: Theorem 1. If $f: \Sigma \to \bf R$ is a non-atomic (*) measure on a set $S$, then for every $X \in \Sigma$ …

Fekete's (subadditive) lemma takes its name from a 1923 paper by the Hungarian mathematician Michael Fekete [1]. A historical overview and references to (a couple of) generalizations and applications …

The title has it all. I'm looking for a reference to the following: Q. Let $X, Y, Z$ be finite, non-empty (topological) spaces. When does $X \times Y \cong X \times Z$ imply $Y \cong Z$ (in the ca …

Given $a, b \in \mathbb Z$, set $[\![a,b]\!] := \{x \in \mathbb Z: a \le x \le b\}$. A basic result in additive number theory goes as follows: If $A$ is a finite subset of $\mathbb N$ with $0 \in A$ …

An abelian cancellative semigroup embeds (via a semigroup monomorphism) into an abelian group. What about an abelian cancellative Hausdorff topological semigroup that does not embed (via a monomorphis …