5 Constructibility

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Ancient Greeks with compass drawn
Tried to double cubes at dawn
But Galois whispered through the years
"Check the field extension here"
Alpha's constructible they say
When degree's a power of two's way
Rational field to alpha's home
Must have dimensions two can own

[Chorus]
Power of two, power of two
That's the key that sees you through
Straightedge and compass in your hand
But extensions must be planned
Two raised up to some whole number
Or your construction's going under
Power of two, it's always true
For what geometry can do

[Verse 2]
Cube root of two has degree three
Three's not two to any spree
Doubling cubes will never work
Though mathematicians used to lurk
Trisecting angles sounds so neat
But cubic roots you'll always meet
Degree three blocks your pathway clean
Impossible is what it means

[Chorus]
Power of two, power of two
That's the key that sees you through
Straightedge and compass in your hand
But extensions must be planned
Two raised up to some whole number
Or your construction's going under
Power of two, it's always true
For what geometry can do

[Bridge]
Pi's transcendental, infinite degree
Squaring circles? Can't you see?
Regular polygons have their rule
Fermat primes are the crucial tool
Two to k times Fermat primes distinct
All other n-gons are extinct

[Verse 3]
When field degree climbs past two's reign
Construction efforts are in vain
But when the tower splits just right
With two-fold jumps at every height
Then compass spins and straightedge glides
Through algebraic countryside

[Chorus]
Power of two, power of two
That's the key that sees you through
Straightedge and compass in your hand
But extensions must be planned
Two raised up to some whole number
Or your construction's going under
Power of two, it's always true
For what geometry can do

[Outro]
Galois solved the ancient quest
Power of two puts dreams to rest

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