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Concept
System of polynomial equations
Summary
A system of polynomial equations (sometimes simply a polynomial system) is a set of simultaneous equations f1 = 0, ..., fh = 0 where the fi are polynomials in several variables, say x1, ..., xn, over some field k.
A solution of a polynomial system is a set of values for the xis which belong to some algebraically closed field extension K of k, and make all equations true. When k is the field of rational numbers, K is generally assumed to be the field of complex numbers, because each solution belongs to a field extension of k, which is isomorphic to a subfield of the complex numbers.
This article is about the methods for solving, that is, finding all solutions or describing them. As these methods are designed for being implemented in a computer, emphasis is given on fields k in which computation (including equality testing) is easy and efficient, that is the field of rational numbers and finite fields.
Searching for solutions that belong to a specific set is a problem which is generally much more difficult, and is outside the scope of this article, except for the case of the solutions in a given finite field. For the case of solutions of which all components are integers or rational numbers, see Diophantine equation.
A simple example of a system of polynomial equations is
Its solutions are the four pairs (x, y) = (1, 2), (2, 1), (-1, -2), (-2, -1). These solutions can easily be checked by substitution, but more work is needed for proving that there are no other solutions.
The subject of this article is the study of generalizations of such an examples, and the description of the methods that are used for computing the solutions.
A system of polynomial equations, or polynomial system is a collection of equations
where each fh is a polynomial in the indeterminates x1, ..., xm, with integer coefficients, or coefficients in some fixed field, often the field of rational numbers or a finite field. Other fields of coefficients, such as the real numbers, are less often used, as their elements cannot be represented in a computer (only approximations of real numbers can be used in computations, and these approximations are always rational numbers).
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