User:IssaRice/Linear algebra/Rank of polynomial matrix is constant everywhere except possibly at finitely many points: Difference between revisions

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Now we have two cases:
Now we have two cases:


* <math>r=0</math>:
* <math>r=0</math>: For every <math>x</math>, we have <math>\operatorname{rank} A(x) \leq r = 0</math> from what we showed above. Since the rank of a matrix is a non-negative integer, we also knwo that <math>\operatorname{rank} A(x) \geq 0</math>. Combining these two, we must have <math>\operatorname{rank} A(x) = 0</math> for every <math>x</math>, so in this case <math>x \mapsto \operatorname{rank} A(x)</math> is identically zero.
* <math>r > 0</math>: Since <math>x \mapsto \operatorname{rank} A(x)</math> takes on the maximum value <math>r</math>, we can find some point <math>x_0</math> such that <math>\operatorname{rank} A(x_0) = r</math>.
* <math>r > 0</math>: Since <math>x \mapsto \operatorname{rank} A(x)</math> takes on the maximum value <math>r</math>, we can find some point <math>x_0</math> such that <math>\operatorname{rank} A(x_0) = r</math>.