[fields] AN ALGEBRAIC CURVE 11 <) 



function B{£, v) the coefficients B n - t B n ~ 2 , . . . .,B are polynomials 



in f of degrees o, a, 2 a, , (w-l)a respectively. Here B n ~\ 



is an arbitrary constant. Equating this constant to o and reducing 



the degrees of B„~- 2 y B to a -2, 2a -2, ,(w-l)a-2 



respectively, we force the function B(Ç,v) to have for the value t = °° 

 orders of coincidence which are adjoint to the order 2. Noting the 

 actual number of the extra conditions so imposed on the constant co- 

 efficients of the function B(z,v) we otherwise know that this number 

 must be 2n — p. We thus determine the number p of the irreducible 

 factors in F(Ç, v) and therewith the number of such factors in/(z, u). 



