The Graphs Associated with Rings

by Sumi T., Anto A.M.

A ring is an abstract structure with a commutative addition, and a multiplication which may or may not be commutative. This distinction yields two quite different theories: the theory of respectively commutative or non-commutative rings. These notes are mainly concerned about commutative rings. Non-commutative rings have been an object of systematic study only quite recently, during the 20th century. Graph is a mathematical representation of a network and it describes the relationship between lines and points. A graph consists of some points and lines between them. The length of the lines and position of the points does not matter. Each object in a graph is called a node. The subject of graph theory had its beginnings in recreational math problems (see number game), but it has grown into a significant area of mathematical research, with applications in chemistry, operations research, social sciences, and computer science. The study of algebraic structures using the properties of graphs becomes an exciting research topic in the past twenty years, leading to many fascinating results and questions. There are many papers on assigning a graph to a group or a ring. Also, investigation of algebraic properties of groups or rings using the associated graph becomes an exciting topic. In 1999, the zero-divisor graph of a commutative ring Γ(R) was defined by David F. Anderson and Paul S. Livingston as the undirected graph with vertex set Z(R)∗, in which there is an arc from x to y if and only if xy = 0. Through this book, we illustrate some results about the Graphs associated with Rings.