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SciMax Toolbox >> gcdex

gcdex

Maxima Function

Calling Sequence

gcdex (f, g)
gcdex(f,g,x)

Description

Returns a list [a, b, u] where u is the greatest common divisor (gcd) of f and g, and u is equal to a f + b g. The arguments f and g should be univariate polynomials, or else polynomials in x a supplied main variable since we need to be in a principal ideal domain for this to work. The gcd means the gcd regarding f and g as univariate polynomials with coefficients being rational functions in the other variables.

gcdex implements the Euclidean algorithm, where we have a sequence of L[i]: [a[i], b[i], r[i]] which are all perpendicular to [f, g, -1] and the next one is built as if q = quotient(r[i]/r[i+1]) then L[i+2]: L[i] - q L[i+1], and it terminates at L[i+1] when the remainder r[i+2] is zero.

(%i1) gcdex (x^2 + 1, x^3 + 4);
                       2
                      x  + 4 x - 1  x + 4
(%o1)/R/           [- ------------, -----, 1]
                           17        17
(%i2) % . [x^2 + 1, x^3 + 4, -1];
(%o2)/R/                        0

Note that the gcd in the following is 1 since we work in k(y)[x], not the y+1 we would expect in k[y, x].

(%i1) gcdex (x*(y + 1), y^2 - 1, x);
                               1
(%o1)/R/                 [0, ------, 1]
                              2
                             y  - 1
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