Discussion. Squares of differences [fdip-00AK]

An action for a field on the four-cycle of Example [fdip-0003] sums the squares of its differences along the edges, weighted by the edge weights \(w(e)\): that sum is the discrete form of \(\int |\nabla \varphi |^2\). A pairing sums products of the values themselves, the discrete form of \(\int fg\) when each site has unit volume. Both expressions need coefficients that can be squared and added, and a sum of squares that vanishes only when every term does. Which coefficient rings admit such a sum, and what does positivity require of the weights?