p-adic Numbers

The p-adic numbers are an alternative number system where "closeness" is measured by divisibility by p. The p-adic tree visualizes the ultrametric structure — two numbers are close if they agree modulo large powers of p.

p-adic Valuation

The p-adic valuation v_p(n) = largest k such that p^k divides n.

p-adic norm: |n|_p = p^(−v_p(n))

Large p-adic norm = NOT divisible by p

Calculator

Famous result

In ℚ_5: the 5-adic expansion of -1 is ...44444 (all 4s)

In ℚ_2: -1 = ...11111 (all 1s)

This is why two's complement works for negative numbers in computers!

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