One further example perhaps, to be more convincing :

sage: N= (2*x).numerator()
sage: N.prime_divisors()
[2, x]
sage: [valuation(N, p) for p in prime_divisors(N)]     # innocent-
looking piece of code

...
ArithmeticError: The polynomial, p, must have positive degree.

I do think the innocent piece of code above ought to work.

p.



On 1 mar, 20:25, Pierre <[email protected]> wrote:
> hmm it's not mathematical, it's just that IMHO n should belong to
> QQ[x], not ZZ[x]. I do see your point though, in that the coefficients
> should be mathematical integers (or "may as well be"). And I do see
> now that it is intentional.
>
> Think about it : if i wanted to use your metaphor, over QQ the
> numerator of a fraction ought to be in ZZ, not in NN, even if it is
> positive ! and it should not be in the group {1 ; -1} with two
> elements even if it is equal to 1... I guess i'm trying to say that
> when k= R.fraction_field(), and when x is in k, then x.numerator()
> should be in R. Not in some subset of R. You may well disagree and say
> that we can take a convention for numerators such that they always lie
> in some subset of R, but I don't think it's a good idea.
>
> Also think about my nightmare when i ask for the prime divisors of the
> numerator of a fraction, expecting polynomials, and getting things
> like 2 and 3... I know I can use numerator().change_ring(QQ) but then
> my code wouldn't be as general (if I apply 'numerator' to something in
> QQ, i find an element of ZZ which doesn't have a change_ring()
> method... etc).
>
> pierre
>
> On 1 mar, 19:37, Robert Bradshaw <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > On Mar 1, 2010, at 7:50 AM, Pierre wrote:
>
> > > hi all,
>
> > > is this a bug or intentional ?
>
> > > sage: x=  QQ['x'].gen()
> > > sage: n= x.numerator()
> > > sage: x.parent()
> > > Q[x]
> > > sage: n.parent()
> > > Z[x]
>
> > > what about this Z popping out of nowhere ? (well...) It's certainly
> > > making my like (a little) more complicated (i have a more involved
> > > example of course, and i proceed to look for prime divisors of the
> > > numerator).
>
> > This is just the general definition of numerator and denominator  
> > extended from Q to Q[x]. I don't see any other definition of numerator  
> > that would make more sense here...
>
> > - Robert

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