AN ALGORITHM TO FIND A SOLUTION

FOR THE EQUATION fu + gv = h IN THE

RING R[X]
Eduard ASADURIAN

Abstract
It is known that if f, g R[X] and d = GCD(f, g) then there
exists u, v R[X] so that fu+gv = h. Using that R[X] is a principal
ideal domain the proof is obvious. But this proof is nonconstructive
because it does no provide a way to nd the polynomials u, v to verify
the relation fu + gv = h.
The purpose of this work is to present an algorithmic solution for
the equation
fu + gv = 0, deg u < deg g, deg v < deg f (1)
in the ring R[X], or more generally, in the ring K[X], where K is a
eld. The key to get a solution (u, v) is the resultant Res(f, g) of the
polynomials f, g Using a minimal theoretical device we can decide the
existence of a solution of the equation. The, starting from nding a
solution for the equation fu + gv = c where c R, we get a solution
for the equation fu + gv = h. An interesting fact is that if f, g
and h are polynomials in Z[X], the we obtain a solution (u, v), also
composed of polynomials with integer composed of polynomials with
integer coecients.
1 The existence of the nonzero solu-
tion
The rst statement refers to the existence of certain type of nonzero
solution computable (u, v) of the equation fu + gv = 0.

Universitatea din Pitesti, Facultatea de Matematica Informatica, Targu din Vale 1,

Pitesti, Romania
1
Propozit ie 1.1. Let f, g R[X] two nonzero polynomials of degrees
1. Then the equation
fu + gv = 0, deg u < deg g, deg v < deg f (2)
has a nonzero solution (u, v)if and only if f, g have a nonconstant
common factor.
Proof. If (u, v) is a nonzero solution, then fu = gv f|gv. Sup-
posing that f, g are relatively prime, thus GCD(f, g) = 1, from f|gv it
follows that f|v, respectively deg f deg v, contradiction. So, there
exists h R[X] a common factor with deg h > 0. Conversely, let h be
a nonconstant common factor of the polynomials f, g. If f = hf
1
and
g = hg
1
, then the ordered pair (g
1
, f
1
) is a nonzero solution of the
equation (2).
The notion of the resultant is closely related to nding a nonzero
solution (u, v) for the equation (2). Then, if f, g R[X] are of the
form
f = a
0
+ a
1
X + + a
l
X
l
,
g = b
0
+ b
1
X + + b
m
X
m
,
(3)
then the solutions (u, v) of the equation (2) will be of form
u = u
0
+ u
1
X + + u
m1
X
m1
,
v = v
0
+ v
1
X + + v
l1
X
l1
.
(4)
We substitute the expressions of polynomials f, g, u and v in the
relation fu +gv = 0 and we get the following homogeneous system of
m + l liniar equations with m + l unknowns:
_

_
a
0
u
0
+ b
0
v
0
= 0,
a
1
u
0
+ a
0
u
1
+ b
1
v
0
+ b
0
v
1
= 0,

a
l
u
m1
+ b
m
v
l1
= 0.
(5)
The matrix of the system (5), denoted Sylv(f, g) and called the
Sylvester matrix of the polynomials f, g is a (m + l) (m + l) square
2
matrix and is of form
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
a
0
0 0 b
0
0 0 0
a
1
a
0
0 b
1
b
0
0 0
a
2
a
1
0 b
2
b
1
b
0
0

a
l
a
l1

0 a
l

0 0

b
m
b
m1

b
m


0 0 a
l1
0 0 b
m1
0 0 a
l
0 0 b
m
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
The entries of the rst m columns are the elements a
0
, a
1
, . . . , a
l
and 0 and the entries of the latest are the elements b
0
, b
1
, . . . , b
m
and
0. The determinant det(Sylv(f, g)) =: Res(f, g) is called the resultant
of the polynomials f, g.
Now, the condition the equation (2) to have a nonzero solution
is equivalent with the condition that the system (5)has nonzero solu-
tions. Therefore, we can formulate
Corolar 1.2. If f, g are two polynomial of degree > 1, then the fol-
lowing statements are equivalent:
i) The equation fu + gv = 0, deg u < deg g, deg v < deg f has a
nonzero solution (u, v) R[X] R[X];
ii) The polynomials f, g have a nonconstant common factor;
iii) Res(f, g) = 0.
The next proposition together with its proof, completes the theo-
retical support of solving equation (1).
Propozit ie 1.3. If f, g R[X] are two nonconstant polynomials, then
the equation
fu + gv = Res(f, g) (6)
has at least a nonzero solution (u, v) with degu < degg, degv < degf.
Furthermore, if f, g Z[X] and Res(f, g) = 0, then there exists a
solution with polynomials u, v Z[X].
Proof. If Res(f, g) = 0, then Corollary 1.2 assure the existence of
nonzero solutions. If Res(f, g) = 0, then Corollary 1.2 implies that
GCD(f, g) = 1. If f and g have the form (3), the rst we search for
u

, v

of the form (4) solutions of the equations fu

+ gv

= 1. But to
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solve the equation fu

+gv

= 1 it means solving the system of linear

equations
_

_
a
0
u

0
+ b
0
v

0
= 0,
a
1
u

0
+ a
0
u

1
+ b
1
v

0
+ b
0
v

1
= 0,

a
l
u

m1
+ b
m
v

l1
= 1,
(7)
that diers from the system (5) only the last equation. Because
Res(f, g) = 0 it results that the system (7) has a unique solution that
we can obtain using Crammers rule. The expression of each unknown
u

i
, v

j
is a fraction with denominator Res, and the numerator a sum
of products with coecients a
i
, b
j
. Using this remark, if f, g Z[X],
then u = Res(f, g)u

and v = Res(f, g)v

are polynomials over Z.

2 Elaborating the algorithm
The previous statements together with those proofs make up the sup-
port of an algorithmic way to solve equation (1). So,
1) If Res(f, g) = 0, then GCD(f, g) = 1. In these conditions
(i) The equation fu + gv = 0, deg u < deg g, deg v < deg f has
only solution zero according to Corollary 1.2.
(ii) The equation fu +gv = 1, has a nonzero solution (u

, v

) from
which we obtain the solution u = hu

, v = hv

of the equation (1).

2) If Res(f, g) = 0, then f and g have a nonconstant common factor
and let d =GCD(f, g).
(i) Equation fu + gv = 0 has a nonzero solution that we get by
solving the system (5).
(ii) The equation fu + gv = c, where c R

, has no solutions
because if f = df
1
and g = dg
1
, then from d(f
1
u + g
1
v) = c it results
d|c, impossible because of the degrees.
(iii) The equation fu+gv = h, where deg h > 0, has no solution if
d h. Otherwise, if h = dh
1
, then the solving of the equation
(1) reduces to the solving of the equation f
1
u + g
1
v = h
1
, with
Res(f
1
, g
1
) = 0. From the proof of the Proposition 1.3 the equa-
tion f
1
u

+g
1
v

= 0 has a nonzero solution (u

, v

). From this solution

we obtain f
1
u

h
1
d+g
1
u

h
1
d = h
1
d, respectively f(u

h
1
)+g(v

h
1
) = h.
Thus, u = u

h
1
and v = v

h
1
is a nonzero solution of the equation (1).
Concerning the algorithm that follows, the calculus of the resultant
Res(f, g) is algorithmized (see [1]) and for solving of the system (5)
or of the system (7) there are commands of several computer algebra
systems.
We emphasize that the algorithm work for the equation (1) in the
conditions deg f > 1 and deg g > 1. The solving of the equation (1)
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with f =const. or g =const. is obvious, so these possibilities was
ignored in the elaborating of the algorithm
Algorithm to nd the solution of equation
fu + gv = h, deg u < deg g, deg v < deg f
Input: f, g, h
/* f, g are nonconstant polynomials */
Output: (u, v);
res:=Res(f, g)
if h = 0 then
if res = 0 then
(u, v):= the pair of polynomials obtained by solving the system (5)
else
(u, v) := (0, 0)
if deg h = 0 then
if res = 0 then
(u, v):= equation has no solutions
else
(u, v):= are nonconstant polynomials;
(u, v) := (uh, vh)
if deg h > 0 then
if res = 0 then
d :=GCD(f, g);
r:=remainder of the division of h by d;
if r = 0 then
f := f|d;
g := g|d;
h := h|d;
(u, v):=the pair of polynomials obtained by solving the system
(7);
(u, v) := (uh, vh)
else
(u, v) := equation has no solutions
else
(u, v):= the pair of polynomials obtained by solving the system (7);
(u, v) := (hu, hv)
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Bibliograe
[1] D.Cox, J.Little, D.O.Shea, Ideals, Varieties and Algorithms,
Springer-Verlag, 1991.
[2] V.Ene, Capitole de algebra asistata de calculator, Ex Ponto,
Constant a, 2002.
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