6
$\begingroup$

Surely, one can compose a power series for them, and any partial sum of those series would be defined, But are they defined in the limit?

I mean, what is $\cos \omega$, for instance?

Does the trigonometric equality $\cos^2 x+\sin^2 x=1$ still hold?

P.S. More context. This Wikipedia article on Hardy fields says "This means periodic functions such as the sine and cosine functions cannot exist in Hardy fields.". Yet, surreal numbers are an H-field, that is a Hardy field with unity. The Wikipedia is wrong?

$\endgroup$
1
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Isn't that quote about periodic functions referring not to functions defined on the Hardy fields, but rather referring to functions used to represent individual points within the Hardy field? If we are creating the Hardy field by looking at the behavior at infinity, and every individual will be positive, negative, or zero, then periodic functions like sine will be a problem. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 24 at 19:32

1 Answer 1

9
$\begingroup$

Since the surreal numbers form a saturated real-closed field, it follows that they serve as a (proper class) version of the hyperreal numbers, including the transfer principle. This means that absolutely every function and relation on the real numbers extends to the surreal field, with furthermore all the same first-order expressible properties. (This is provable using the global choice principle in Gödel-Bernays set theory or Kelley-Morse set theory.) $$\langle\mathbb{R},+,\cdot,0,1,<,\mathbb{Z},\sin,\exp,\ldots\rangle\prec\langle\text{No},+,\cdot,0,1,<,\mathbb{Z}^*,\sin^*,\exp^*,\ldots\rangle$$ So we will have a surreal sine function, cosine, exponential, logarithm, and so forth—every function whatsoever has a surreal analogue with the same first-order expressible features in $\text{No}$ that the original function has in $\mathbb{R}$.

In particular, yes, there will be a periodic nonstandard function $\cos^*$, with all the same properties of the $\cos$ function on the reals—it will be periodic with period $2\pi$ and obey the expected identities with other trigonometric functions, $\sin^{2}(x)+\cos^{2}(x)=1$.

The nonstandard analogues $\sin^*$, $\exp^*$, however, are definitely not unique except in trivial cases. One can see this immediately because the surreal field has a superabundance of automorphisms, and there is nothing special about $\omega$, for example, in the field structure alone, for it can be moved by field automorphisms to any other infinite element. In light of this, there will be many distinct versions of the nonstandard functions, with all the same expressible properties. In this sense, it is not directly sensible to ask, what is the value of $\cos^*(\omega)$? In fact there are versions of $\cos^*$ for which this is $0$, or $1$, or $-1/\sqrt{2}$, and so forth, simply because of the automorphisms.

Therefore, when asking for surreal versions of the various standard functions, one should specify more exactly what is desired. In particular, how do you want the function to interact with the genetic birthday structure? The birthday structure is not determined by the algebraic surreal structure. The surreals are not saturated with respect to the birthday structure, and the field is rigid when one incorporates that structure as a part of what is meant by the surreals.

For this, there may be some good accounts of which $\cos^*$ to use, and I shall leave this for others.

Finally, you ask about the power series, but in the surreals there are issues with this. First of all, as I recently explained on another answer, the surreals do not have any nontrivial convergent sequences or series at all, when considered in the ordinary meaning of sequence or series, with countably many terms. A countable sum of nonzero terms never converges in the surreals. Indeed, even uncountable series sums of set size never converge—every set of surreal numbers is discrete in the order.

However, there will be nonstandard analogues of the power series, with $$\cos^*(x)=\sum_{n\in\mathbb{N}^*}(-1)^n\frac{x^{2n}}{(2n)!},$$ with terms proceeding into the nonstandard even natural numbers. The trouble here, however, is that $\mathbb{N}^*$ is a proper class in the surreals — each instance of this series is a proper class — and so there are some delicate set-theoretic issues in handling them. Many things work, but one must take care. (Meanwhile, again, the interpretation of $\mathbb{N}^*$ itself is not unique.)

$\endgroup$
12
  • $\begingroup$ To deal with the issue of automorphisms we can fix $\omega$ as the germ of identity function at infinity (by considering surreals as an H-field). In this case the cosine function is unique? Does it belong to a Hardy field? Is it countable? $\endgroup$
    – Anixx
    Commented Nov 24 at 18:46
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Sorry, I don't really know what any of that means. It's not a part of how I think about the surreals. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 24 at 18:50
  • $\begingroup$ I think, in Hardy fields cosine is generally not defined. If we embeed a Hardy field into surreals, will cosine of the germ of the function $f(x)=x$ be defined? I mean, it should be countable, so it should belong to the field of germs as that field covers all countable surreals (there is a theorem on this) but in the field of germs cosine of the germ of identity function is not defined. $\endgroup$
    – Anixx
    Commented Nov 24 at 18:53
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Sorry, I don't know much that is useful about Hardy fields. Periodic functions definitely can exist in the surreals. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 24 at 19:18
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I believe that the quotation on Wikipedia is not talking about functions on the Hardy fields, as in your question, but rather about continuous functions used to represent elements in a Hardy field. It is about the fact that elements of the Hardy field are either positive, negative, or zero, and a continuous function viewed in its behavior at infinity would not be like that. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 24 at 19:25

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .