Reprint: Arithmetic properties of solutions of a class of functional equations (1929) (Q1996488)

Summary: In this paper, Mahler introduces a method of transcendence now known as Mahler's method. He applies his method to show that the numbers \[ \sum_{n\ge 0} t(n)\alpha^n\quad\mbox{and}\quad\sum_{n\ge 0}\lfloor n\omega\rfloor \alpha^n \] are transcendental for any algebraic number \(\alpha\) with \(0<|\alpha|<1\) and any positive quadratic irrational number \(\omega\), where \(\{t(n)\}_{n\ge 0}\) is the Thue-Morse sequence with values in \(\{-1,1\}\) and \(\rfloor x\lfloor\) denotes the integer part of \(x\). This article is the first in a series of three papers that develops Mahler's method. Reprint of the author's paper [Math. Ann. 101, 342--366 (1929; JFM 55.0115.01); correction 103, 532 (1930; JFM 56.0185.02)].