Discriminant Matrices of a Linear Associative Algebra

where ti(eres) and fa{erea) are the first and second traces, respectively, of eres. The first forms in terms of the constants of multiplication arise from the isomorphism between the first and second matrices of the elements of A and the elements themselves. The second forms result from direct calculation of the traces of R(er)R(es) and S(er)S(es), R{ei) and S(ei) denoting, respectively, the first and second matrices of ei. The last forms of the discriminant matrices show that each is symmetric. E. Noetherf and C. C. MacDuffeeJ discovered some of the interesting properties of these matrices, and shed new light on the particular case of the discriminant matrix of an algebraic equation. It is the purpose of this paper to develop additional properties of these matrices, and to interpret them in some familiar instances. Let A be subjected to a transformation of basis, of matrix M,