Quadratic generator statistics

— 1 minute read

Set-up permalink

Suppose a,b,cZa,b,c \in \mathbb{Z}, 9a,b,c9-9 \leq a,b,c \leq 9 and a0a \neq 0, how are the roots of the quadratic equation ax2+bx+c=0 ax^2 + bx + c = 0 distributed (assuming a uniform distribution).

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-Rational rootsIrrational real rootsComplex roots
Probability0.1610.4610.378

A quick analysis will also show that the discriminant ranges from -324 to 405, and there are a total of 6498 unique quadratic equations.

5538 of them are such that gcd(a,b,c)=1\gcd(a,b,c) = 1.