An alternate proof of Mason's theorem (Q1589791): Difference between revisions

The so-called Mason Theorem, or \(abc\) theorem over function fields, has been discovered and rediscovered by numerous mathematicians, who formulated it in different shapes. In its simplest form it reads Mason's Theorem. Given three coprime polynomials \(a(t),b(t),c(t)\) satisfying \( a(t)+b(t)=c(t) \) the number of distinct zeros of the product \(a(t)b(t)c(t)\) is \(\geq 1+\max\{\deg(a),\deg(b), \deg(c)\}\). The first proof of such statement seems due to \textit{W. W. Stothers} [Q. J. Math., Oxf. II. Ser. {32}, 349-370 (1981; Zbl 0466.12011)]. A completely elementary proof is given by \textit{R. C. Mason} in his book [Diophantine equations over function fields, Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. {96} (1984; Zbl 0533.10012)]. The paper under review presents perhaps the simplest and most elegant proof, which has been chosen by \textit{S. Lang} in his classic [Algebra, Graduate Texts in Mathematics {211}, 3rd ed., Springer (2002; Zbl 0984.00001)] (see Theorem 7.1 in Chapter~4).