Rado's theorem states that a rational matrix is partition regular if and only if it has the columns property. By hypothesis each is partition regular, so choose a columns partition for each one. Form the block-diagonal matrix
Taking at stage the union of the th blocks from the individual partitions, with empty blocks added after a partition ends, gives the columns property for : each row block sees exactly the corresponding dependence for its . Hence is partition regular by Rado's theorem. A monochromatic vector
in the kernel of satisfies for every , and all entries of all the have the same color.
Suppose the columns of a matrix over the rational numbers satisfy the columns condition with blocks . Choose rational coefficients such that
Choose a positive integer clearing all denominators and . For generators of any full positive M-p-c set, the coordinates
lie in that set and satisfy . Thus the monochromatic m-p-c set theorem supplies the sufficiency direction of Rado's theorem.