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changed "open subset" to "open subset of 16-space"
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Steven Landsburg
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You are asking for a polynomial equality in 16 variables. A polynomial equality holds if it holds on an open subset of affine 16-space. So you can restrict to the open subset of 16-space where A, B, C and D have distinct eigenvalues. Now because they commute they can be simultaneously diagonalized (perhaps over a bigger field, but that's okay). The truth of your equation is not affected if we apply this diagonalization (you are conjugating each matrix by a single matrix $X$, which does not change either side of the equation). So you can assume A, B, C and D are all diagonal, which makes this an easy computation.

You are asking for a polynomial equality in 16 variables. A polynomial equality holds if it holds on an open subset. So you can restrict to the open subset of 16-space where A, B, C and D have distinct eigenvalues. Now because they commute they can be simultaneously diagonalized (perhaps over a bigger field, but that's okay). The truth of your equation is not affected if we apply this diagonalization (you are conjugating each matrix by a single matrix $X$, which does not change either side of the equation). So you can assume A, B, C and D are all diagonal, which makes this an easy computation.

You are asking for a polynomial equality in 16 variables. A polynomial equality holds if it holds on an open subset of affine 16-space. So you can restrict to the open subset of 16-space where A, B, C and D have distinct eigenvalues. Now because they commute they can be simultaneously diagonalized (perhaps over a bigger field, but that's okay). The truth of your equation is not affected if we apply this diagonalization (you are conjugating each matrix by a single matrix $X$, which does not change either side of the equation). So you can assume A, B, C and D are all diagonal, which makes this an easy computation.

Source Link
Steven Landsburg
  • 23.4k
  • 5
  • 98
  • 156

You are asking for a polynomial equality in 16 variables. A polynomial equality holds if it holds on an open subset. So you can restrict to the open subset of 16-space where A, B, C and D have distinct eigenvalues. Now because they commute they can be simultaneously diagonalized (perhaps over a bigger field, but that's okay). The truth of your equation is not affected if we apply this diagonalization (you are conjugating each matrix by a single matrix $X$, which does not change either side of the equation). So you can assume A, B, C and D are all diagonal, which makes this an easy computation.