Definition:Annihilator

Definition
Let $R$ be a commutative ring.

Let $M$ and $N$ be modules over $R$.

Let $B : M \times N \to R$ be a bilinear mapping.

The annihilator of $D \subseteq M$, denoted $\map {\operatorname{Ann}_N} D$ is the set:


 * $\set {n \in N : \forall d \in D: \map B {d, n} = 0}$

Special Cases
Various definitions of the annihilator can be found in the literature, including:

Annihilator as Integral Multiples of Ring Elements
A common instance is when $N$ is the ring of integers $\Z$ and $M$ is a ring or a field $\left({R, +, \times}\right)$: