the generalized principal ideal theorem is one of the cornerstones of dimension theory for noetherian rings. for an r-module m, we identify certain submodules of m that play a role analogous to that of prime ideals in the ring r. using this definition, we extend the generalized principal ideal theorem to modules.

The Generalized Principal Ideal Theorem is one of the cornerstones of dimension theory for Noetherian rings. For an R-module M, we identify certain submodules of M that play a role analogous to that of prime ideals in the ring R. Using this definition, we extend the Generalized Principal Ideal Theorem to modules.

KrulΓs principal ideal theorm [Krull] states that q elements in the maximal ideal of a local noetherian ring generate an ideal whose minimal components are all of height at most q. Writing R for the ring, we may consider the q elements, x19 , xq say, as coordinates of an element xeR. It is an easy observation that every homomorphism R —> R carries x to an element of the ideal generated by xi9 ,...