Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / iii / Paper 125 / 4 / b / Solution

Set $h(O_E)=0$ andfor $P\ne O_E$. The canonical height of an elliptic curve isThe duplication formula is a rational function of degree four in $x$, so the rational-map height estimate in part (a) givesTherefore successive terms of $4^{-r}h([2^r]P)$ differ by at most $C_E{4}^{-r-1}$, and the limit is well defined.

Shifting the limit immediately gives $\hat{h}([2]P)=4\hat{h}(P)$. The addition formula likewise givesApply this to $[2^r]P,[2^r]Q$, divide by $2\cdot 4^r$, and pass to the limit to obtain the exact parallelogram lawTaking $Q=P$ starts an induction on $|n|$ that yieldsfor every integer $n$.