Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 November 2009
Let K be a field. We study a class of left C-comodules over a basic left Euler coalgebra C by means of the Euler ℤ-bilinear form associated to C, the Euler characteristic χC(M,N) of left C-comodules M,N, and the defect ∂C(M,N) ∊ ℤ associated to any computable Euler pair (M,N) of left C-comodules. We show that (lgthM, lgthN) = χC(M,N) + ∂C(M,N), for any computable Euler pair (M,N) of comodules over a left Euler coalgebra C. One of the main results of the paper asserts that the defect ∂C(M,N) is zero and (lgthM,lgthN) = χC(M,N), if the comodules M,N are finite-dimensional.