Inabstract algebra, an ordered ring is a (usually commutative) ring R with a total order ≤ such that for all a, b, and cinR:[1]
Ordered rings are familiar from arithmetic. Examples include the integers, the rationals and the real numbers.[2] (The rationals and reals in fact form ordered fields.) The complex numbers, in contrast, do not form an ordered ring or field, because there is no inherent order relationship between the elements 1 and i.
In analogy with the real numbers, we call an element c of an ordered ring R positive if 0 < c, and negativeifc < 0. 0 is considered to be neither positive nor negative.
The set of positive elements of an ordered ring R is often denoted by R+. An alternative notation, favored in some disciplines, is to use R+ for the set of nonnegative elements, and R++ for the set of positive elements.
If is an element of an ordered ring R, then the absolute valueof , denoted , is defined thus:
where is the additive inverseof and 0 is the additive identity element.
Adiscrete ordered ringordiscretely ordered ring is an ordered ring in which there is no element between 0 and 1. The integers are a discrete ordered ring, but the rational numbers are not.
For all a, b and cinR:
The list below includes references to theorems formally verified by the IsarMathLib project.