In: Advanced Math
Let D be a division ring, and let M be a right D-module. Recall that a subset S ⊂ M is linearly independent (with respect to D) if for any finite subset T ⊂ S, and elements at ∈ D for t ∈ T, if sum of tat = 0, then all the at = 0.
(a) If S ⊂ M is linearly independent, show that there exists a maximal linearly independent subset U of M that contains S, and that U is a basis for M (that is,M is a free D-module).
(b) Suppose that S is a generating set (that is, for every element m ∈ M, there exists a finite subset T ⊂ S and at ∈ D such that m = sum of tat). Show that there exists a subset U ⊂ S that is a basis for M.
(c)* Bonus for proving that all bases of M have the same cardinality, if it has a finite basis. (It is also true for infinite bases.)