In mathematics, the characteristic of a ring R, often denoted char(R), is defined to be the smallest positive number of copies of the ring's multiplicative identity (1) that will sum to the See more

If R and S are rings and there exists a ring homomorphism R → S, then the characteristic of S divides the characteristic of R. … See more

The special definition of the characteristic zero is motivated by the equivalent definitions characterized in the next section, where the … See more

• The characteristic is the natural number n such that n$${\displaystyle \mathbb {Z} }$$ is the kernel of the unique ring homomorphism See more

• McCoy, Neal H. (1973) [1964]. The Theory of Rings. Chelsea Publishing. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-8284-0266-8. See more