Skip to main content

Timeline for Units and Nilpotents

Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0

7 events
when toggle format what by license comment
Jan 21, 2016 at 4:01 comment added Derek Elkins left SE This identity can be heuristically arrived at, and the whole problem approached directly, by using the infinite series expansion of $1/(1-x)$ with, to start, $x = -a$. Since $a$ is nilpotent, the series reduces to a perfectly acceptable polynomial. Rewriting $1/(u+a)$ into the above form is a simple exercise in high school algebra but leads to the the need to verify the (easy) questions Arturo raises.
Mar 25, 2015 at 13:28 history edited AMPerrine CC BY-SA 3.0
Corrected an exponent that's been wrong for over three years!
Mar 14, 2012 at 3:10 vote accept Shannon
Mar 14, 2012 at 3:10 comment added Shannon oh, I see. I will work on it. Thank you so much.
Mar 14, 2012 at 2:56 comment added Arturo Magidin @Shannon: That's what my last paragraph is about. Multiply $u+a$ by $v$; then you get $1+(va)$... is $va$ nilpotent?
Mar 14, 2012 at 2:51 comment added Shannon I had tried your way before I asked. But I used u+a instead of 1+a. I was stuck cause I couldnt conclude 1. Here, 1+a is a special case of u+a, do you have to prove u+a?
Mar 14, 2012 at 2:26 history answered Arturo Magidin CC BY-SA 3.0