On \(\mathbf{On}_p\) (Q2343498): Difference between revisions

On the class \(\mathbf{On}\) of all ordinals one can define addition and multiplication in such a way that \(\mathbf{On}\) becomes a field of characteristic 2. This was done by J. H. Conway more than forty years ago. In order to add two ordinals one can write these ordinals in ``binary'' and then ``add'' them without carrying. Unfortunately, no such simple rule exists for multiplication. These operations are referred to as Nim-addition and Nim-multiplication, due to their connections with the game of Nim. Later H. W. Lenstra studied more detailed the structure of this field and defined an another addition operation which turns the class of ordinals into an abelian group of exponent 3. F. Laubie gave an appropriate definition of addition on \(\mathbf{On}\) for any prime characteristic \(p\). In this paper, the author defines additions and multiplications on \(\mathbf{On}\) that turn the ordinals into a field of any prime characteristic \(p\), which is called \(\mathbf{On}_{p}\). The structure of these fields \(\mathbf{On}_{p}\) is studied, some results analogous to those in case \(\mathbf{On}_{2}\) and \(\mathbf{On}_{3}\) are obtained. In the final part of the paper, the author points out how to construct \(\mathbf{On}_{0}\), the field of characteristic zero, and remarks that further analysis of \(\mathbf{On}_{0}\) would seem to be very difficult.