Working out solutions to polynomial equations is a mathematical problem that dates from antiquity. Galois developed a theory in which the obstacle to solving a polynomial equation is an associated collection of symmetries. Obtaining a root requires "breaking" that symmetry. When the degree of an equation is at least five, Galois Theory established that there is no formula for the solutions like those found in lower degree cases. However, this negative result doesn't mean that the practice of equation-solving ends. In a recent breakthrough, Doyle and McMullen devised a solution to the fifth-degree equation that uses geometry, algebra, and dynamics to exploit icosahedral symmetry. Polynomials, Dynamics, and Choice: The Price We Pay for Symmetry is organized in two parts, the first of which develops an account of polynomial symmetry that relies on considerations of algebra and geometry. The second explores beyond polynomials to spaces consisting of choices ranging from mundane decisions to evolutionary algorithms that search for optimal outcomes. The two algorithms in Part I provide frameworks that capture structural issues that can arise in deliberative settings. While decision-making has been approached in mathematical terms, the novelty here is in the use of equation-solving algorithms to illuminate such problems. Features Treats the topic—familiar to many—of solving polynomial equations in a way that’s dramatically different from what they saw in school Accessible to a general audience with limited mathematical background Abundant diagrams and graphics.

Polynomials are well known for their ability to improve their properties and for their applicability in the interdisciplinary fields of engineering and science. Many problems arising in engineering and physics are mathematically constructed by differential equations. Most of these problems can only be solved using special polynomials. Special polynomials and orthonormal polynomials provide a new way to analyze solutions of various equations often encountered in engineering and physical problems. In particular, special polynomials play a fundamental and important role in mathematics and applied mathematics. Until now, research on polynomials has been done in mathematics and applied mathematics only. This book is based on recent results in all areas related to polynomials. Divided into sections on theory and application, this book provides an overview of the current research in the field of polynomials. Topics include cyclotomic and Littlewood polynomials; Descartes' rule of signs; obtaining explicit formulas and identities for polynomials defined by generating functions; polynomials with symmetric zeros; numerical investigation on the structure of the zeros of the q-tangent polynomials; investigation and synthesis of robust polynomials in uncertainty on the basis of the root locus theory; pricing basket options by polynomial approximations; and orthogonal expansion in time domain method for solving Maxwell's equations using paralleling-in-order scheme.

New mathematical research in arithmetic dynamics In The Arithmetic of Polynomial Dynamical Pairs, Charles Favre and Thomas Gauthier present new mathematical research in the field of arithmetic dynamics. Specifically, the authors study one-dimensional algebraic families of pairs given by a polynomial with a marked point. Combining tools from arithmetic geometry and holomorphic dynamics, they prove an “unlikely intersection” statement for such pairs, thereby demonstrating strong rigidity features for them. They further describe one-dimensional families in the moduli space of polynomials containing infinitely many postcritically finite parameters, proving the dynamical André-Oort conjecture for curves in this context, originally stated by Baker and DeMarco. This is a reader-friendly invitation to a new and exciting research area that brings together sophisticated tools from many branches of mathematics.

This book introduces the numerical technique of polynomial continuation, which is used to compute solutions to systems of polynomial equations. Originally published in 1987, it remains a useful starting point for the reader interested in learning how to solve practical problems without advanced mathematics. Solving Polynomial Systems Using Continuation for Engineering and Scientific Problems is easy to understand, requiring only a knowledge of undergraduate-level calculus and simple computer programming. The book is also practical; it includes descriptions of various industrial-strength engineering applications and offers Fortran code for polynomial solvers on an associated Web page. It provides a resource for high-school and undergraduate mathematics projects. Audience: accessible to readers with limited mathematical backgrounds. It is appropriate for undergraduate mechanical engineering courses in which robotics and mechanisms applications are studied.

This book is the definitive work on polynomial solution theory. Starting with the simplest linear equations with complex coefficients, this book proceeds in a step by step logical manner to outline the method for solving equations of arbitrarily high degree. Polynomial Resolution Theory is an invaluable book because of its unique perspective on the age old problem of solving polynomial equations of arbitrarily high degree. First of all Hardy insists upon pursuing the subject by using general complex coefficients rather than restricting himself to real coefficients. Complex numbers are used in ordered pair (x,y) form rather than the more traditional x + iy (or x + jy) notation. As Hardy comments, "The Fundamental Theorem of Algebra makes the treatments of polynomials with complex coefficients mandatory. We must not allow applications to direct the way mathematics is presented, but must permit the mathematical results themselves determine how to present the subject. Although practical, real-world applications are important, they must not be allowed to dictate the way in which a subject is treated. Thus, although there are at present no practical applications which employ polynomials with complex coefficients, we must present this subject with complex rather than restrictive real coefficients." This book then proceeds to recast familiar results in a more consistent notation for later progress. Two methods of solution to the general cubic equation with complex coefficients are presented. Then Ferrari's solution to the general complex bicubic (fourth degree) polynomial equation is presented. After this Hardy seamlessly presents the first extension of Ferrari's work to resolving the general bicubic (sixth degree) equation with complex coefficients into two component cubic equations. Eight special cases of this equation which are solvable in closed form are developed with detailed examples. Next the resolution of the octal (eighth degree) polynomial equation is developed along with twelve special cases which are solvable in closed form. This book is appropriate for students at the advanced college algebra level who have an understanding of the basic arithmetic of the complex numbers and know how to use a calculator which handles complex numbers directly. Hardy continues to develop the theory of polynomial resolution to equations of degree forty-eight. An extensive set of appendices is useful for verifying derived results and for rigging various special case equations. This is the 3rd edition of Hardy's book.

This book offers fascinating and modern perspectives into the theory and practice of the historical subject of polynomial root-finding, rejuvenating the field via polynomiography, a creative and novel computer visualization that renders spectacular images of a polynomial equation. Polynomiography will not only pave the way for new applications of polynomials in science and mathematics, but also in art and education. The book presents a thorough development of the basic family, arguably the most fundamental family of iteration functions, deriving many surprising and novel theoretical and practical applications such as: algorithms for approximation of roots of polynomials and analytic functions, polynomiography, bounds on zeros of polynomials, formulas for the approximation of Pi, and characterizations or visualizations associated with a homogeneous linear recurrence relation. These discoveries and a set of beautiful images that provide new visions, even of the well-known polynomials and recurrences, are the makeup of a very desirable book. This book is a must for mathematicians, scientists, advanced undergraduates and graduates, but is also for anyone with an appreciation for the connections between a fantastically creative art form and its ancient mathematical foundations.