Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/ii/paper-2/1i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 2 1I Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
Write an integral binary quadratic form as . It is positive definite when and its discriminant is negative. Two forms are properly equivalent when one is obtained from the other by a change of variables in . A reduced positive definite binary quadratic form satisfieswith when or .
To prove reduction, choose in a proper equivalence class a form whose positive leading coefficient is minimal. Replacing by changes by , so choose to arrange . If the resulting , the determinant-one substitution would put in the leading position, contradicting minimality. Thus . Sign changes on the boundary give the stated convention. Hence every positive definite form is properly equivalent to a reduced one.
A unimodular integral substitution is a bijection of , so properly equivalent forms represent exactly the same integers.
Both given forms have discriminant . Reduction givesThe two reduced forms represent the same integers becausean integral change of variables of determinant . They are not properly equivalent: the uniqueness theorem for reduced positive definite forms says that each proper class has one reduced representative, and . Therefore the original forms represent the same integers but are not equivalent in the required proper sense.
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