The characteristic polynomial and determinant are not ad hoc constructions

Let $f$ be a polynomial system consisting of $n$ polynomials $f_1,\cdots, f_n$ in $n$ variables $x_1,\cdots, x_n$, with coefficients in $\mathbb{Q}$ and let $\langle f\rangle$ be the ideal generated by $f$. Such a polynomial system, which has as many equations as variables is called a square system. It may be zero-dimensional, i.e the system of equations $f = 0$ has finitely many complex solutions, or equivalently the dimension of the quotient algebra $A = \mathbb{Q}[x]/\lang...

We present the asymptotically fastest known algorithms for some basic problems on univariate polynomial matrices: rank, nullspace, determinant, generic inverse, reduced form. We show that they essentially can be reduced to two computer algebra techniques, minimal basis computations and matrix fraction expansion/reconstruction, and to polynomial matrix multiplication. Such reductions eventually imply that all these problems can be solved in about the same amount of time as pol...

The centralizer of an endomorphism of a finite dimensional vector space is known when the endomorphism is nonderogatory or when its minimal polynomial splits over the field. It is also known for the real Jordan canonical form. In this paper we characterize the centralizer of endomorphisms over arbitrary fields for whatever minimal polynomial, and compute its dimension. The result is obtained via generalized Jordan canonical forms (for separable and non separable minimal polyn...

The problem of writing real zero polynomials as determinants of linear matrix polynomials has recently attracted a lot of attention. Helton and Vinnikov have proved that any real zero polynomial in two variables has a determinantal representation. Br\"and\'en has shown that the result does not extend to arbitrary numbers of variables, disproving the generalized Lax conjecture. We prove that in fact almost no real zero polynomial admits a determinantal representation; there ar...

The paper deals with a construction of a separating system of rational invariants for finite dimensional generic algebras. In the process of dealing an approach to a rough classification of finite dimensional algebras is offered by attaching them some quadratic forms.

Let $\mathbb{H}$ be a field with $\mathbb{Q}\subset\mathbb{H}\subset\mathbb{C}$, and let $p(\lambda)$ be a polynomial in $\mathbb{H}[\lambda]$, and let $A\in\mathbb{H}^{n\times n}$ be nonderogatory. In this paper we consider the problem of finding a solution $X\in\mathbb{H}^{n\times n}$ to $p(X)=A$. A necessary condition for this to be possible is already known from a paper by M.P. Drazin. Under an additional condition we provide an explicit construction of such solutions. Th...

In this paper, we investigate characteristic polynomials of matrices in min-plus algebra. Eigenvalues of min-plus matrices are known to be the minimum roots of the characteristic polynomials based on tropical determinants which are designed from emulating standard determinants. Moreover, minimum roots of characteristic polynomials have a close relationship to graphs associated with min-plus matrices consisting of vertices and directed edges with weights. The literature has ye...

This is a detailed survey -- with rigorous and self-contained proofs -- of some of the basics of elementary combinatorics and algebra, including the properties of finite sums, binomial coefficients, permutations and determinants. It is entirely expository (and written to a large extent as a repository for folklore proofs); no new results (and few, if any, new proofs) appear.

Let $k$ be a field of characteristic two. We prove that a non constant monic polynomial $f\in k[X]$ of degree $n$ is the minimal/characteristic polynomial of a symmetric matrix with entries in $k$ if and only if it is not the product of pairwise distinct inseparable irreducible polynomials. In this case, we prove that $f$ is the minimal polynomial of a symmetric matrix of size $n$. We also prove that any element $\alpha\in k_{alg}$ of degree $n\geq 1$ is the eigenvalue of a s...

Given a zero-dimensional ideal I in a polynomial ring, many computations start by finding univariate polynomials in I. Searching for a univariate polynomial in I is a particular case of considering the minimal polynomial of an element in P/I. It is well known that minimal polynomials may be computed via elimination, therefore this is considered to be a "resolved problem". But being the key of so many computations, it is worth investigating its meaning, its optimization, its a...