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Mathematics of Computation
Journal of the American Mathematical Society
ISSN 1088-6842(e) ISSN 0025-5718(p)
     

Solving quadratic equations using reduced unimodular quadratic forms

Author(s): Denis Simon.
Journal: Math. Comp. 74 (2005), 1531-1543.
MSC (2000): Primary 11Y50, 11E20; Secondary 11H55
Posted: January 27, 2005
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Abstract: Let $Q$ be an $n\times n$ symmetric matrix with integral entries and with $\det Q \neq 0$, but not necesarily positive definite. We describe a generalized LLL algorithm to reduce this quadratic form. This algorithm either reduces the quadratic form or stops with some isotropic vector. It is proved to run in polynomial time. We also describe an algorithm for the minimization of a ternary quadratic form: when a quadratic equation $q(x,y,z)=0$ is solvable over $\mathbb{Q} $, a solution can be deduced from another quadratic equation of determinant $\pm 1$. The combination of these algorithms allows us to solve efficiently any general ternary quadratic equation over $\mathbb{Q} $, and this gives a polynomial time algorithm (as soon as the factorization of the determinant of $Q$ is known).


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Additional Information:

Denis Simon
Affiliation: LMNO--UMR 6139, Université de Caen--Campus II, Bd du Maréchal Juin, BP 5186--14032 Caen Cedex, France
Email: simon@math.unicaen.fr

DOI: 10.1090/S0025-5718-05-01729-1
PII: S 0025-5718(05)01729-1
Keywords: Quadratic equation, algorithm
Received by editor(s): February 14, 2003
Received by editor(s) in revised form: February 26, 2004
Posted: January 27, 2005
Copyright of article: Copyright 2005, American Mathematical Society


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