Let L be a finite extension of a number field K with ring of integers and respectively. One can consider as a projective module over . The highest exterior power of as an module gives an element of the class group of , called the Steinitz module. These considerations work also for algebraic curves where we prove that for a finite unramified cover Y of an algebraic curve X, the Steinitz module as an element of the Picard group of X is the sum of the line bundles on X which become trivial when pulled back to Y. We give some examples to show that this kind of result is not true for number fields. We also make some remarks on the capitulation problem for both number field and function fields. (An ideal in is said to capitulate in L if its extension to is a principal ideal.)

Let n ≥3 and m≥3 be integers. Let Kn be the cyclotomic field obtained by adjoining a primitive nth root of unity to the field of rational numbers. Let denote the maximal real subfield of Kn. Let hn (resp., ) denote the class number of Kn (resp., ). For fixed m we show that m divides hn and hn for asymptotically almost all n. Also for those Kn and with a given number of ramified primes, we obtain lower bounds for certain types of densities for m dividing hn and .