Let $(K, +, \cdot, >)$ be ordered Field and $x,y,x',y'\in K$ Conclude from ordered Field axioms: $0\leq x<y\wedge 0\leq x'<y'\implies 0\leq xx'<yy'$

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Let $(K, +, \cdot, >)$ be an ordered Field and $x,y,x',y' \in K$. Conclude from the ordered Field axioms (O1) - (O3) that:

$$ 0 \leq x < y \wedge 0 \leq x' < y' \implies 0 \leq xx'< yy' $$

Justify each single step.


The ordered field axioms in my course are given as: $$1: \text{For all }x \in K \text{, exactly one of those properties applies: } x > 0, x = 0, -x > 0$$ $$2: x > 0 \wedge y > 0 \implies x + y > 0, x,y \in K$$ $$3: x > 0 \wedge y > 0 \implies x \cdot y > 0, x,y \in K$$


My attempt:

We multiply $0 \leq x < y$ by $y'$ from the right. This gives $$0 \leq xy' < yy'$$

We also multiply $0 \leq x' < y'$ by $x$ from the left. This gives $$0 \leq xx' < xy'$$

Using axiom 3, we see that $$0 \leq xx' < xy'< yy'$$

So we can see that $$0 \leq xx' < yy'$$

Is this correct ? This seems a bit too straightforward, so I'm especially unsure. Do we only need to use axiom 3 and 1 ? Is axiom 2 not needed ?

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As for your proof, it is correct, but you were using property not stated in the axioms. Namely multiplying both sides of the equality, i.e.

$$(a<b \wedge c>0)\implies ac<bc$$

To prove this you proceed as follows:

  1. $a<b$ (assumption).
  2. $0<b-a$ (point 1 and monotonicity)
  3. $0<c$ (assumption)
  4. $0<(b-a)\cdot c$ (points 2, 3 and axiom 3 of ordered field)
  5. $0<bc-ac$ (point 4 and distributivity)
  6. $ac<bc$ (point 5 and monotonicity)

The proof looks fine except in points 2 and 6 it relies on monotonicity, i.e. the following property:

$$ a<b \implies a+c<b+c$$

This property is usually assumed as one of the axioms of the ordered field. In your case it is not. Moreover, I believe that in fact it can't be proved from axioms 1-3.

To see this, consider any ordered field $K$ in the usual sense ($\mathbb R$ or $\mathbb Q$ will do) and take any (linear) order $<_+$ on the set $(0,\infty)$ and any (linear) order $<_-$ on the set $(-\infty, 0)$. Now define a new order $<^*$ in such a way that $x<^*y$ iff one of the following condition holds.

  1. $x<_-y$
  2. $x<_+ y$
  3. $x< 0 \leqslant y$
  4. $x\leqslant 0 < y$

Then $<^*$ is a linear order on $K$, axioms 1-3 hold but $<_+$ and $<_-$ can be chosen in such a way that monotonicity fails.