Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2008/ia/paper-4/5d/c/solution

To obtain a countable closure under real polynomial roots, start with and explicitly retain previous elements at each stage:
Part (b) shows that takes countable sets to countable sets; consequently all and then are countable by the countable union of countable sets theorem. Also .
For a nonzero polynomial with all , choose stages containing the finitely many coefficients and put . The inclusions ensure that every coefficient belongs to . Every real root of a polynomial therefore belongs to . This countable set has all the required properties. Retaining explicitly avoids assuming the generally false inclusion : for example, does not contain , since a nonzero polynomial all of whose coefficients are one is positive at .

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