For each rational prime , define
These are the three cases in splitting of rational primes in a quadratic field.
Set . In the split case the local factor of the Dedekind zeta function is ; in the inert case it is because the prime ideal has norm ; and in the ramified case it is . On the other hand, the product of the local factors of and is
which gives exactly those three expressions when . Multiplying over all rational primes proves the quadratic Dedekind zeta factorization
formally.