Assuming the axiom of choice, Cauchy's functional equation has solutions that are not linear maps over the real numbers. Regard as a vector space over the rational numbers. Because is an irrational number, and are linearly independent over . Zorn's lemma extends them to a Hamel basis ; assigning arbitrary real outputs to its basis vectors and extending by finite rational linear combinations gives an additive function.[ref]
For a particular choice, assign and for every . Every real number has a unique finite linear combination with finite and . Define
where the coefficient is zero if . The uniqueness of the Hamel basis representation makes this definition unambiguous, and adding the coefficients proves . On the rational two-dimensional vector subspace spanned by and , the rule is particularly simple:
For instance, and give , , and . Thus the map still preserves addition, even though rules out being a linear map over the real numbers.
The rational approximants from additive function continuous at one point is linear expose the failure of continuity: but . Moreover while . The map is continuous nowhere, since continuity at any point would imply additive function continuous at one point is linear. It is unbounded on every interval of positive length by additive function bounded on an interval is linear.
The axiom of choice is used to obtain the Hamel basis; the coefficient rule does not provide an explicit way to find the representation of an arbitrary real number. A plot sampled only at rational numbers would show exactly the same values as , so that plot cannot reveal this discontinuous additive function.
Here is the matrix form of Rado's theorem. A matrix with entries in the rational numbers and columns is a partition regular matrix if every finite coloring of the positive integers admits a vector whose coordinates are monochromatic and for which . Its columns condition asks for an ordered partition into nonempty blocks , with
Rado's theorem states that these two conditions are equivalent. Coordinates need not be distinct; positivity is required for every coordinate.
First prove necessity using the finite separating-functional proof of the columns condition. Clearing denominators does not change either the kernel or the columns condition, so assume that has integer entries. For each pair of disjoint index sets , with nonempty, for which is outside the rational linear span of the -columns, choose an integer linear functional such that
Such a linear functional exists: extend a basis over the rational numbers of the indicated linear span by , prescribe values zero on the former basis and one on , extend to a basis of the ambient vector space over the rational numbers, and then clear the functional's denominators. There are only finitely many pairs . Choose a prime number larger than the absolute values of all their nonzero evaluations; if there are none, choose any prime number.
Color by its last nonzero digit coloring value, namely
where is the P-adic valuation. By partition regularity, choose a positive solution all of whose coordinates have the same nonzero digit . Group its indices into nonempty blocks according to increasing distinct P-adic valuations .
Suppose that a block sum is outside the rational linear span of the earlier columns, and put , taking for . Apply the selected linear functional to . The earlier terms vanish exactly. Divide the remaining integer equality by and reduce modulo . Later blocks vanish modulo , while each coordinate in contributes its common digit . We obtain
which is impossible by the choice of and because . Thus each block sum lies in the earlier linear span. For the first block, this span is zero, so . This proves the columns condition.
For sufficiency, assume the columns condition and choose rational coefficients , for , such that
Choose a positive integer clearing all these coefficients' denominators and a positive integer with for every coefficient. Use the permitted monochromatic m-p-c set theorem, in the suffix convention for an m-p-c set, to obtain positive generators such that the full set
is positive and monochromatic. The positivity of the full m-p-c set is important: we do not discard expressions that happen to be negative. For , set
All these coordinates belong to , so they are positive and monochromatic. On collecting coefficients of each , their matrix product is
This explicit Rado solution inside an m-p-c set proves sufficiency and completes the proof of Rado's theorem.
To deduce the Finite sums theorem directly from the columns condition, introduce one positive variable for each nonempty and impose
For there are no equations and any positive integer works. For , write for the column belonging to . Partition the columns into blocks in the order . Consider the row indexed by a set with . The sum of the columns in has row value
For this is always zero. For it equals one exactly for those with and . Each such is the negative coordinate vector in row , and it belongs to an earlier block. Therefore
which verifies the columns condition, rather than assuming the desired Finite sums theorem. Apply Rado's theorem to this system. Its monochromatic positive solution satisfies with , and hence
A torsion-free divisible Abelian group is naturally a vector space over the rational numbers: for and , define as the unique with . Divisibility supplies existence and torsion-freeness supplies uniqueness.
In the usual group first-order language , a model of the universal part of DAG is a torsion-free group which is Abelian. If the language instead uses only , a substructure can be merely a torsion-free cancellative commutative monoid. Handle this convention by first taking its Grothendieck group : its elements are formal differences , with
The cancellative commutative monoid condition makes injective. If , then , and torsion-freeness gives ; hence is a torsion-free abelian group. In the full group language simply take .
For form its rational divisible hull
Concretely its elements are fractions with , where if . The canonical embedding of into is injective, and is nontrivial, divisible, Abelian and torsion-free, so it satisfies DAG.
Let be any structure embedding into a model of DAG. Extend it first to formal differences if necessary. Its unique extension to the rational divisible hull sends to the unique element with . This is a group homomorphism fixing the given copy of . It is injective: an element mapped to zero has , hence . Thus every embedding into a DAG model factors through .
The zero case must be treated separately: its rational divisible hull is zero and does not satisfy DAG. Instead choose . Given any nontrivial DAG model , choose ; the map embeds into over zero. Therefore DAG has algebraically prime models, including over the trivial base.