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. Minimal Polynomials of 2 cos π n: A000010 A055034 A181875 A181876

The document discusses the minimal polynomials of 2cos(nπ), where n is a natural number. It provides the degree formulas for these polynomials and lists the explicit polynomials for n from 1 to 30. Tables with additional information on the coefficients of the polynomials are also included.

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jgrisalesher
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44 views

. Minimal Polynomials of 2 cos π n: A000010 A055034 A181875 A181876

The document discusses the minimal polynomials of 2cos(nπ), where n is a natural number. It provides the degree formulas for these polynomials and lists the explicit polynomials for n from 1 to 30. Tables with additional information on the coefficients of the polynomials are also included.

Uploaded by

jgrisalesher
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Karlsruhe

April 08 2011

π 
A187360. Minimal Polynomials of 2 cos
n

Wolfdieter L a n g 1

The minimal polynomial of an algebraic number α of degree dα is the monic, minimal degree
rational polynomial which has as root, or as one of its roots, α. This minimal degree dα is 1 iff α is
rational, and the minimal polynomial in this case is p(x) = x − α. For the notion ‘minimal polynomial
of an algebraic number’ see, e.g., [2], p. 28.
π 
For the algebraic number 2 cos , for n ∈ N, the degree (called here δ(n)) is δ(1) = 1, and
n
ϕ(2 n)
δ(n) = , with Euler’s totient function ϕ(n) = A000010(n). This is the sequence A055034. These
2  
2π
polynomials can be obtained from the ones of cos which are found, e.g., under A181875/ A181876,
n
and they have been called there Ψ(n, x). See also [1], and [2], Theorem 3.9, p. 37, for the degree ofthese

π 2π
polynomials, from which the δ(n) formula above follows. From the trivial identity cos = cos
π  n 2n
one finds the minimal polynomial of 2 cos , called here C(n, x), from
n
 x
C(n, x) = 2d(2 n) Ψ 2 n, . (1)
2
It turns out that these polynomials are in fact integer (not
 πonly
 rational) polynomials. The interest in
these polynomials derives from the fact that ρ(n) := 2 cos is the ratio of lengths between the largest
n
diagonal and the side of πthe
 regular n−gon. The side length of a regular n−gon inscribed in the unit
π

circle is s(n) := 2 sin . See the W. Lang paper “The field Q(2 cos n ) and length ratios in the
n
regular n-gon” given in a link under A187360.

References
[1] D. H. Lehmer, A Note on Trigonometric Algebraic Numbers, Am. Math. Monthly 40,8 (1933) 165-6.

[2] I. Niven, Irrational Numbers, The Math. Assoc, of America, second printing, distributed by John
Wiley and Sons, 1963.

[3] William Watkins and Joel Zeitlin, The Minimal Polynomial of cos(2π/n), Am. Math. Monthly 100,5
(1993) 471-4.

1
[email protected], http://www-itp.particle.uni-karlsruhe.de/~ wl

1
π 
Table : Minimal polynomials of 2 cos for n = 1, 2, ..., 30.
n
n C(n, x)
1 x+2
2 x
3 x−1
4 x2 − 2
5 x2 − x − 1
6 x2 − 3
7 x3 − x2 − 2 x + 1
8 x4 − 4 x2 + 2
9 x3 − 3x − 1
10 x4 − 5 x2 + 5
11 x5 − x4 − 4 x3 + 3 x2 + 3 x − 1
12 x4 − 4 x2 + 1
13 x6 − x5 − 5 x4 + 4 x3 + 6 x2 − 3 x − 1
14 x6 − 7 x4 + 14 x2 − 7
15 x4 + x3 − 4 x2 − 4 x + 1
16 x8 − 8 x6 + 20 x4 − 16 x2 + 2
17 x8 − x7 − 7 x6 + 6 x5 + 15 x4 − 10 x3 − 10 x2 + 4 x + 1
18 x6 − 6 x4 + 9 x2 − 3
19 x9 − x8 − 8 x7 + 7 x6 + 21 x5 − 15 x4 − 20 x3 + 10 x2 + 5 x − 1
20 x8 − 8 x6 + 19 x4 − 12 x2 + 1
21 x6 + x5 − 6 x4 − 6 x3 + 8 x2 + 8 x + 1
22 x10 − 11 x8 + 44 x6 − 77 x4 + 55 x2 − 11
23 x11 − x10 − 10 x9 + 9 x8 + 36 x7 − 28 x6 − 56 x5 + 35 x4 +
35 x3 − 15 x2 − 6 x + 1,
24 x8 − 8 x6 + 20 x4 − 16 x2 + 1
25 x10 − 10 x8 + 35 x6 − x5 − 50 x4 + 5 x3 + 25 x2 − 5 x − 1
26 x12 − 13 x10 + 65 x8 − 156 x6 + 182 x4 − 91 x2 + 13
27 x9 − 9 x7 + 27 x5 − 30 x3 + 9 x − 1
28 x12 − 12 x10 + 53 x8 − 104 x6 + 86 x4 − 24 x2 + 1
29 x14 − x13 − 13 x12 + 12 x11 + 66 x10 − 55 x9 − 165 x8 +
120 x7 + 210 x6 − 126 x5 − 126 x4 + 56 x3 + 28 x2 − 7 x − 1
30 x8 − 7 x6 + 14 x4 − 8 x2 + 1
..
.

2
Table 2: A187360(n, m) coefficient
π  array of
minimal polynomials of 2 cos , rising powers
n

n/m 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...

1 2 1

2 0 1

3 -1 1

4 -2 0 1

5 -1 -1 1

6 -3 0 1

7 1 -2 -1 1

8 2 0 -4 0 1

9 -1 -3 0 1

10 5 0 -5 0 1

11 -1 3 3 -4 -1 1

12 1 0 -4 0 1

13 -1 -3 6 4 -5 -1 1

14 -7 0 14 0 -7 0 1

15 1 -4 -4 1 1
..
.

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