field of quotients

plural fields of quotients

1. algebraA field all of whose elements can be represented as ordered pairs each of whose components belong to a given integral domain, such that the second component is non-zero, and so that the additive operator is defined like so: (a,b)+(a',b')=(ab'+a'b,bb'), the multiplicative operator is defined coordinate-wise, the zero is (0,1), the unity is (1,1), the additive inverse of (a,b) is (-a,b), equivalence is defined like so: (a,b)≡(a',b') if and only if ab'=a'b, and multiplicative inverse of a non-zero–equivalent element (a,b) is (b,a).

   Synonyms: field of fractions