Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Q is a Field

Description

This lecture covers the properties of rational numbers, focusing on Q as a field with operations that are associative, commutative, and have neutral and inverse elements. It also introduces the concept of an ordered field in Q.

In MOOCs (2)

Analysis I (part 1): Prelude, basic concepts, real numbers

Analysis I

Official source

Quiz

Ontological neighbourhood

Mathematics

Algebra: Abstract algebra

Related concepts (32)

Commutative property

In mathematics, a binary operation is commutative if changing the order of the operands does not change the result. It is a fundamental property of many binary operations, and many mathematical proofs depend on it. Most familiar as the name of the property that says something like "3 + 4 = 4 + 3" or "2 × 5 = 5 × 2", the property can also be used in more advanced settings. The name is needed because there are operations, such as division and subtraction, that do not have it (for example, "3 − 5 ≠ 5 − 3"); such operations are not commutative, and so are referred to as noncommutative operations.

Associative property

In mathematics, the associative property is a property of some binary operations, which means that rearranging the parentheses in an expression will not change the result. In propositional logic, associativity is a valid rule of replacement for expressions in logical proofs. Within an expression containing two or more occurrences in a row of the same associative operator, the order in which the operations are performed does not matter as long as the sequence of the operands is not changed.

Rational number

In mathematics, a rational number is a number that can be expressed as the quotient or fraction \tfrac p q of two integers, a numerator p and a non-zero denominator q. For example, \tfrac{-3}{7} is a rational number, as is every integer (e.g., 5 = 5/1). The set of all rational numbers, also referred to as "the rationals", the field of rationals or the field of rational numbers is usually denoted by boldface Q, or blackboard bold \Q. A rational number is a real number.

Inverse element

In mathematics, the concept of an inverse element generalises the concepts of opposite (−x) and reciprocal (1/x) of numbers. Given an operation denoted here ∗, and an identity element denoted e, if x ∗ y = e, one says that x is a left inverse of y, and that y is a right inverse of x. (An identity element is an element such that x * e = x and e * y = y for all x and y for which the left-hand sides are defined.

Ordered field

In mathematics, an ordered field is a field together with a total ordering of its elements that is compatible with the field operations. The basic example of an ordered field is the field of real numbers, and every Dedekind-complete ordered field is isomorphic to the reals. Every subfield of an ordered field is also an ordered field in the inherited order. Every ordered field contains an ordered subfield that is isomorphic to the rational numbers. Squares are necessarily non-negative in an ordered field.

Related lectures (28)

Properties of Rational Multiplication

Covers the properties of rational multiplication through fractions and simple calculations, leading to the resolution of division problems.

Commutative Groups: Foundations for Cryptography

Covers commutative groups and their significance in cryptography.

Operations in Z

Covers addition properties and operations in the set of integers Z.

Natural Numbers

Covers the concept of natural numbers, including properties like commutativity and associativity.

Cohomology Real Projective Space