1
$\begingroup$

What does $\mathbb{Z}[[t]]$ mean? Why are there double square brackets?

I can't search through Google, because I can't search Latex.

  • 1
    I think it's the ring of formal power series with coefficents from $\mathbb{Z}$, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_power_series2012-09-02
  • 2
    You actually can search LaTeX: http://www.latexsearch.com/2012-09-02
  • 0
    If this is from a book, it might have an list of symbols in the back that you can check.2012-09-02

2 Answers 2

7

That is the ring of formal power series in $t$ with integer coefficients, i.e., of $$\sum_{n=0}^\infty a_nt^n,$$ with $a_n\in\Bbb Z$, componentwise addition, and multiplication appropriately defined.

The double brackets distinguish it from $\Bbb Z[t]$, which is the ring of polynomials in $t$ with integer coefficients. We can always evaluate the members of $\Bbb Z[t]$ for any complex value of $t$, but we generally can't evaluate members of $\Bbb Z[[t]]$ for $t\neq 0$. To my mind, the double bracket is a reminder that we need to leave the $t$ alone, and not worry about evaluation.

  • 0
    (IMO there is a sense in which can view "evaluation at $t=a$" to be the quotient map $\Bbb Z[[t]]\to \Bbb Z[[t]]/(t-a)$, though this is cheating and doesn't send everything all the way down to $\Bbb Z$.)2012-09-02
  • 0
    Interesting point!2012-09-02
  • 0
    I laughed. I'm going to steal this saying. Many thanks. "just leave $t$ alone" ha.2012-09-02
  • 0
    Have at it, James!2012-09-03
  • 0
    @CameronBuie Is it ok to use the symbol $\mathbb{Z}\llbracket t\rrbracket$ in latex instead of $\mathbb{Z}[[t]]$ or is that wrong?2013-03-04
  • 0
    @PratyushSarkar: I don't see why you couldn't. In general, as long as you declare what your notation is going to be, and keep it consistent, you should be okay.2013-03-04
5

If $A$ is any ring, the notation $A[[T]]$ stands for the ring of formal power series with coefficients in $A$, i.e. the ring whose elements are the expressions $$ a_0+a_1T+a_2T^2+a_3T^3+\cdots $$ with the obvious sum and product.