English

Waring's problem for rational functions in one variable

Number Theory 2018-01-23 v1

Abstract

Let fQ(x)f\in \mathbb{Q}(x) be a non-constant rational function. We consider "Waring's Problem for f(x)f(x)," i.e., whether every element of \bbq\bbq can be written as a bounded sum of elements of {f(a)aQ}\{f(a)\mid a\in \mathbb{Q}\}. For rational functions of degree 22, we give necessary and sufficient conditions. For higher degrees, we prove that every polynomial of odd degree and every odd Laurent polynomial satisfies Waring's Problem. We also consider the "Easier Waring's Problem": whether every element of Q\mathbb{Q} can be represented as a bounded sum of elements of {±f(a)aQ}\{\pm f(a)\mid a\in \mathbb{Q}\}.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1801.06770,
  title  = {Waring's problem for rational functions in one variable},
  author = {Bo-Hae Im and Michael Larsen},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1801.06770},
  year   = {2018}
}

Comments

10 pages

R2 v1 2026-06-22T23:50:59.882Z