Most hyperelliptic curves over Q have no rational points

By a hyperelliptic curve over Q, we mean a smooth, geometrically irreducible, complete curve C over Q equipped with a fixed map of degree 2 to P^1 defined over Q. Thus any hyperelliptic curve C over Q of genus g can be embedded in weighted projective space P(1,1,g+1) via an equation of the form C : z^2 = f(x,y) = f_0 x^n + f_1 x^{n-1} y + ... + f_n y^n where n=2g+2, the coefficients f_i lie in Z, and f factors into distinct linear factors over Q-bar. Define the height H(C) of C by H(C):=max{|f_i|}, and order all hyperelliptic curves over Q of genus g by height. Then we prove that, as g tends to infinity: 1) a density approaching 100% of hyperelliptic curves of genus g have no rational points; 2) a density approaching 100% of those hyperelliptic curves of genus g that have points everywhere locally fail the Hasse principle; and 3) a density approaching 100% of hyperelliptic curves of genus g have empty Brauer set, i.e., have a Brauer-Manin obstruction to having a rational point. We also prove positive proportion results of this type for individual genera, including g = 1.Comment: 33 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1208.100

The density of discriminants of quintic rings and fields

We determine, asymptotically, the number of quintic fields having bounded discriminant. Specifically, we prove that the asymptotic number of quintic fields having absolute discriminant at most X is a constant times X. In contrast with the quartic case, we also show that a density of 100% of quintic fields, when ordered by absolute discriminant, have Galois closure with full Galois group $S_5$. The analogues of these results are also proven for orders in quintic fields. Finally, we give an interpretation of the various constants appearing in these theorems in terms of local masses of quintic rings and fields

Adelic versions of the Weierstrass approximation theorem

Let $\underline{E}=\prod_{p\in\mathbb{P}}E_p$ be a compact subset of $\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}=\prod_{p\in\mathbb{P}}\mathbb{Z}_p$ and denote by $\mathcal C(\underline{E},\widehat{\mathbb{Z}})$ the ring of continuous functions from $\underline{E}$ into $\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}$. We obtain two kinds of adelic versions of the Weierstrass approximation theorem. Firstly, we prove that the ring ${\rm Int}_{\mathbb{Q}}(\underline{E},\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}):=\{f(x)\in\mathbb{Q}[x]\mid \forall p\in\mathbb{P},\;\;f(E_p)\subseteq \mathbb{Z}_p\}$ is dense in the direct product $\prod_{p\in\mathbb{P}}\mathcal C(E_p,\mathbb{Z}_p)\,$ for the uniform convergence topology. Secondly, under the hypothesis that, for each $n\geq 0$, $\#(E_p\pmod{p})>n$ for all but finitely many $p$, we prove the existence of regular bases of the $\mathbb{Z}$-module ${\rm Int}_{\mathbb{Q}}(\underline{E},\widehat{\mathbb{Z}})$, and show that, for such a basis $\{f_n\}_{n\geq 0}$, every function $\underline{\varphi}$ in $\prod_{p\in\mathbb{P}}\mathcal{C}(E_p,\mathbb{Z}_p)$ may be uniquely written as a series $\sum_{n\geq 0}\underline{c}_n f_n$ where $\underline{c}_n\in\widehat{\mathbb{Z}}$ and $\lim_{n\to \infty}\underline{c}_n\to 0$.Comment: minor corrections the statement of Theorem 3.5, which covers the case of a general compact subset of the profinite completion of Z. to appear in Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra, comments are welcome

Globalization, Literacy Levels, and Economic Development

This paper estimated models for GDP growth rates, poverty levels, and inequality measures for the period 1990?2000 using data on 54 developing countries at five-yearly intervals. Issues of globalization were investigated by analysing the differential effects of the countries? exports and imports and by postulating trans-logarithmic models that allow for non-linear effects of literacy levels and measures of openness. The main findings were that literacy rates affected growth rates in a quadratic manner and countries with higher literacy were more likely to benefit from globalization. Second, the model for growth rates showed non-linear and differential effects of the export/GDP and import/GDP ratios. Third, the models indicated that population health indicators such as life expectancy were important predictors of GDP growth rates. Fourth, models for poverty measures showed that poverty was not directly affected by globalization indicators. Finally, the model for Gini coefficients indicated significant effects of ?medium? and ?high? skilled labour work force, with higher proportions of high-skilled labour implying greater inequality.globalization, economic development, education, endogeneity, inequality, poverty, non-linearities, trade

On the mean number of 2-torsion elements in the class groups, narrow class groups, and ideal groups of cubic orders and fields

Given any family of cubic fields defined by local conditions at finitely many primes, we determine the mean number of 2-torsion elements in the class groups and narrow class groups of these cubic fields when ordered by their absolute discriminants. For an order $\cal O$ in a cubic field, we study the three groups: $\rm Cl_2(\cal O)$, the group of ideal classes of $\cal O$ of order 2; $\rm Cl^+_2(\cal O)$, the group of narrow ideal classes of $\cal O$ of order 2; and ${\cal I}_2(\cal O)$, the group of ideals of $\cal O$ of order 2. We prove that the mean value of the difference $|\rm Cl_2({\cal O})|-\frac14|{\cal I}_2(\cal O)|$ is always equal to $1$, whether one averages over the maximal orders in real cubic fields, over all orders in real cubic fields, or indeed over any family of real cubic orders defined by local conditions. For the narrow class group, we prove that the mean value of the difference $|\rm Cl^+_2({\cal O})|-|{\cal I}_2(\cal O)|$ is equal to $1$ for any such family. For any family of complex cubic orders defined by local conditions, we prove similarly that the mean value of the difference $|\rm Cl_2(\mathcal O)|-\frac12|{\cal I}_2(\cal O)|$ is always equal to $1$, independent of the family. The determination of these mean numbers allows us to prove a number of further results as by-products. Most notably, we prove---in stark contrast to the case of quadratic fields---that: 1) a positive proportion of cubic fields have odd class number; 2) a positive proportion of real cubic fields have isomorphic 2-torsion in the class group and the narrow class group; and 3) a positive proportion of real cubic fields contain units of mixed real signature. We also show that a positive proportion of real cubic fields have narrow class group strictly larger than the class group, and thus a positive proportion of real cubic fields do not possess units of every possible real signature.Comment: 17 page

The equidistribution of lattice shapes of rings of integers in cubic, quartic, and quintic number fields

For $n=3$, 4, and 5, we prove that, when $S_n$-number fields of degree $n$ are ordered by their absolute discriminants, the lattice shapes of the rings of integers in these fields become equidistributed in the space of lattices.Comment: 12 page