 Ultrametric inequality

The ultrametric inequality, also called the strong triangle inequality, bounds a direct distance by the larger of the two distances through an intermediate point:A metric space satisfying this rule is an ultrametric space. For a Non-Archimedean absolute value, the corresponding inequality is $|a+b|\le \max \{|a|,|b|\}$, and the associated metric is $d(x,y)=|x-y|$. The ordinary triangle inequality follows because the maximum of two nonnegative real numbers is at most their sum.

For example, the 2-adic absolute value gives the three points $0,1,8$ distancesEach distance is bounded by the maximum of the other two. The two largest distances are equal: every triangle in an ultrametric space has this property. Otherwise its unique longest side would exceed the maximum of the other two, contradicting the ultrametric inequality. The drawn lengths of a triangle on paper need not represent these distances.

The ultrametric inequality gives a useful exact rule when $|a|\ne |b|$:To see why, suppose $|a|>|b|$. The upper bound is $|a+b|\le |a|$; applying the ultrametric inequality to $a=(a+b)-b$ forces the reverse bound. Equal sizes can instead cancel: $|1{|}_2=|1{|}_2=1$, but $|1+1{|}_2=1/2$. This makes a uniquely largest term decisive in a sum, a principle used in the Newton polygon and in arguments about roots of a polynomial.