Factor working with Real numbers
- To: mathgroup at yoda.physics.unc.edu
- Subject: Factor working with Real numbers
- From: herjan at it.et.tudelft.nl (Herjan Barnard)
- Date: Tue, 16 Mar 93 17:33:51 +0100
Hello MathGroup,
I want to factor a polynomial equation with real coefficients
into polynomials with real coefficients. This means that some of the factors
are polynomials of degree 1 and some of degree 2.
Example:
Factor[-12 + x - 2 x^2 + x^3] -----> (x - 3) (x^2 + x + 4)
However, Factor can handle only integer and rational coefficients. I want to
have
Factor[1 + 4 x + 10 x^2 + 20 x^3] // N ----->
(1 + 2.9207 x) (1 + 1.0793 x + 6.84767 x^2)
The only way I know is to use (N)Solve and multiplying the complex conjugate
solutions, which is a rather clumsy method.
Does anyone know a function that performs this type of factorization?
H. J. Barnard.
herjan at it.et.tudelft.nl