Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/iii/paper-24/1/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 24 1 a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Two absolute values on a field are equivalent absolute values when they induce the same topology. For nontrivial absolute values on a field this is equivalent tofor a fixed real number . The trivial absolute value is equivalent only to itself.
Restriction of a Non-Archimedean absolute value plainly preserves the ultrametric inequality. Conversely, if the restriction is non-Archimedean, every integer, interpreted in either field, has absolute value on a field at most one. In particular every binomial coefficient has absolute value on a field at most one. The triangle inequality applied to the binomial expansion gives, for and every positive integer ,Raise both sides to the power and let . Since , this yieldsThis is the bounded-integer criterion for a non-Archimedean absolute value. The proof works for arbitrary field extensions, not just algebraic ones, and in positive characteristic as well.
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