$11$-adic expansion of 1/10

p-adic-number-theory

I am working through Koblitz's book on $p$-adic numbers and in one of the exercises, he asks us to find the $11$-adic expansion of $\frac{1}{10}$. My idea was to use the fact that $$\frac{1}{10}=(-1)\frac{1}{1-11^1}=(-1)\sum_{n=0}^\infty 11^n.$$

But now I'm confused. The series on the right looks exactly like a multiplicative inverse (it's $\dots 1111_{11}$). I know $(-1)=\sum_{n=0}^\infty (p-1)p^n$ for all $p$-adics but then it seems to me that the multiplication returns $-1$. What am I missing?

Best Answer

You have shown that $-\frac{1}{10} = \ldots\!111_{11}$. Which is true, no problems here! It sounds like you are worried that $(-1)\times \ldots\!111_{11} = \ldots\!(10)(10)(10)_{11} \times \ldots\!111_{11}$ gives $-1$? Well, it doesn't... maybe you are multiplying pointwise (term by term) by mistake?

Instead of working out the result of $\ldots\!(10)(10)(10)_{11} \times \ldots\!111_{11}$, it's easier to do something like: $$ -\frac{9}{10} = 9\cdot \left(-\frac{1}{10}\right) = \ldots\!999_{11} $$ $$ \implies \frac{1}{10} = -\frac{9}{10} + 1 = \ldots\!999(10)_{11} $$ It should also be possible to verify directly that $\ldots\!(10)(10)(10)_{11} \times \ldots\!111_{11} = \ldots\!999(10)_{11}$.

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