Transcendental number theoryTranscendental number theory is a branch of number theory that investigates transcendental numbers (numbers that are not solutions of any polynomial equation with rational coefficients), in both qualitative and quantitative ways. Transcendental number The fundamental theorem of algebra tells us that if we have a non-constant polynomial with rational coefficients (or equivalently, by clearing denominators, with integer coefficients) then that polynomial will have a root in the complex numbers.
Algebraic numberAn algebraic number is a number that is a root of a non-zero polynomial in one variable with integer (or, equivalently, rational) coefficients. For example, the golden ratio, , is an algebraic number, because it is a root of the polynomial x^2 − x − 1. That is, it is a value for x for which the polynomial evaluates to zero. As another example, the complex number is algebraic because it is a root of x^4 + 4. All integers and rational numbers are algebraic, as are all roots of integers.
Decimal floating pointDecimal floating-point (DFP) arithmetic refers to both a representation and operations on decimal floating-point numbers. Working directly with decimal (base-10) fractions can avoid the rounding errors that otherwise typically occur when converting between decimal fractions (common in human-entered data, such as measurements or financial information) and binary (base-2) fractions. The advantage of decimal floating-point representation over decimal fixed-point and integer representation is that it supports a much wider range of values.
AutomorphismIn mathematics, an automorphism is an isomorphism from a mathematical object to itself. It is, in some sense, a symmetry of the object, and a way of mapping the object to itself while preserving all of its structure. The set of all automorphisms of an object forms a group, called the automorphism group. It is, loosely speaking, the symmetry group of the object. In the context of abstract algebra, a mathematical object is an algebraic structure such as a group, ring, or vector space.
Locally finite collectionA collection of subsets of a topological space is said to be locally finite if each point in the space has a neighbourhood that intersects only finitely many of the sets in the collection. In the mathematical field of topology, local finiteness is a property of collections of subsets of a topological space. It is fundamental in the study of paracompactness and topological dimension. Note that the term locally finite has different meanings in other mathematical fields. A finite collection of subsets of a topological space is locally finite.
Finite fieldIn mathematics, a finite field or Galois field (so-named in honor of Évariste Galois) is a field that contains a finite number of elements. As with any field, a finite field is a set on which the operations of multiplication, addition, subtraction and division are defined and satisfy certain basic rules. The most common examples of finite fields are given by the integers mod p when p is a prime number. The order of a finite field is its number of elements, which is either a prime number or a prime power.
Field extensionIn mathematics, particularly in algebra, a field extension is a pair of fields such that the operations of K are those of L restricted to K. In this case, L is an extension field of K and K is a subfield of L. For example, under the usual notions of addition and multiplication, the complex numbers are an extension field of the real numbers; the real numbers are a subfield of the complex numbers. Field extensions are fundamental in algebraic number theory, and in the study of polynomial roots through Galois theory, and are widely used in algebraic geometry.
Nilpotent matrixIn linear algebra, a nilpotent matrix is a square matrix N such that for some positive integer . The smallest such is called the index of , sometimes the degree of . More generally, a nilpotent transformation is a linear transformation of a vector space such that for some positive integer (and thus, for all ). Both of these concepts are special cases of a more general concept of nilpotence that applies to elements of rings. The matrix is nilpotent with index 2, since .
Plücker coordinatesIn geometry, Plücker coordinates, introduced by Julius Plücker in the 19th century, are a way to assign six homogeneous coordinates to each line in projective 3-space, \mathbb P^3. Because they satisfy a quadratic constraint, they establish a one-to-one correspondence between the 4-dimensional space of lines in \mathbb P^3 and points on a quadric in \mathbb P^5 (projective 5-space). A predecessor and special case of Grassmann coordinates (which describe k-dimensional linear subspaces, or flats, in an n-dimensional Euclidean space), Plücker coordinates arise naturally in geometric algebra.
Adelic algebraic groupIn abstract algebra, an adelic algebraic group is a semitopological group defined by an algebraic group G over a number field K, and the adele ring A = A(K) of K. It consists of the points of G having values in A; the definition of the appropriate topology is straightforward only in case G is a linear algebraic group. In the case of G being an abelian variety, it presents a technical obstacle, though it is known that the concept is potentially useful in connection with Tamagawa numbers.
