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Based in this question:

$\mathbb R^3$ is not a field

I'm wondering how to prove that $\mathbb R^3$ is not a field no matter which operations you choose. I'm trying to prove using Field theory, anyone knows how to prove it?

Thanks

3 Answers 3

5

As you have written it, the statement is false, as you can transfer the field structure of, say, $\mathbb{R}$ to $\mathbb{R}^3$ via a bijection. However, a famous result says that the only (finite-dimensional, associative) division algebras over $\mathbb{R}$ are the real numbers, the complex numbers, and the quaternions. (You may wish to look at http://mathworld.wolfram.com/DivisionAlgebra.html for references.) In particular, it is not possible to make $\mathbb{R}^3$ a field in such a way that $\mathbb{R}^3$ is of degree 3 over $\mathbb{R}$.

  • 0
    If we define the operations in $\mathbb R^3$: $x+y=f^{-1}(f(x)+f(y))$ and $x\odot y=f^{-1}(f(x)\cdot f(y))$ I think is the operations you mentioned. The distributivity law doesn't work.2012-11-07
11

What you are trying to prove is impossible. Take any bijection from ${\bf R}^3$ to a field $F$ (say, $F={\bf R}$), and define operations on ${\bf R}^3$ by pulling them back from $F$.

  • 0
    We start with the bijection $f$. We use it (as you did, three comments up) to define operations on ${\bf R}^3$. With those operations, ${\bf R}^3$ is a field, isomorphic to $\bf R$. All we have really done is we have noticed that as sets the two are in one-one correspondence, and we've made the one into a field by grafting onto it the field structure of the other. I'm sorry, I don't know how to say it any better, and I don't see where it is that you are getting stuck.2012-11-08
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The cardinality of $\mathbb R^3$ is the same as the cardinality of $\mathbb R$ or $\mathbb C$.

In fact as additive groups they are the same as well. This means that one can define multiplication on $\mathbb R^n$ which makes it isomorphic to $\mathbb R$ or even $\mathbb C$.

But you shouldn't stop there. You could find a bijection of $\mathbb R$ with $\mathbb Q_p$, the $p$-adic field; or with fields of positive characteristics, then you can use this bijection to define a new structure on the set $\mathbb R^3$ which will be isomorphic to the selected field.

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    ha yes, I think now I understood your point. Thank you for the patience.2012-11-08