In 1955, Cassels proved a now celebrated theorem giving a search bound algorithm for determining whether a quadratic form has a nontrivial zero over the rationals. Since then, his work has been greatly generalized, but most of these newer techniques do not follow his original method of proof. In this thesis, we revisit his 1955 proof, modernize his tools and language, and use this machinery to prove more general theorems regarding height bounds for the common zeros of a system of polynomials in terms of the heights of those polynomials. We then use these theorems to give a short proof of a more general (albeit, known) version of Cassels' Theorem and give some weaker results concerning the rational points of a cubic or a pair of quadratics. / text

Let p be an odd prime, and define f(x) as follows: f(x) as the sum from 1 to k of a_i times x raised to the power of (p to the power of (alpha_i+1)) in F_(p to the power of n)[x] where 0 is less than or equal to alpha_1 < alpha_2 < ... < alpha_k where alpha_k is equal to alpha. We consider the exponential sum S(f, n) equal to the sum_(x as x runs over the finite field with (p to the n elements) of zeta_(p to the power of Tr_n (f(x))), where zeta_p equals e to the power of (2i times pi divided by p) and Tr_n is the trace from the finite field with p to the n elements to the finite field with p elements.We provide necessary background from number theory and review the basic facts about quadratic forms over a finite field with p elements through both the multivariable and single variable approach. Our main objective is to compute S(f, n) explicitly. The sum S(f, n) is determined by two quantities: the nullity and the type of the quadratic form Tr_n (f(x)). We give an effective algorithm for the computation of the nullity. Tables of numerical values of the nullity are included. However, the type is more subtle and more difficult to determine. Most of our investigation concerns the type. We obtain "relative formulas" for S(f, mn) in terms of S(f, n) when the p-adic order of m is less than or equal to the minimum p-adic order of the alphas. The formulas are obtained in three separate cases, using different methods: (i) m is q to the s power, where q is a prime different from 2 and p; (ii) m is 2 to the s power; and (iii) m is p. In case (i), we use a congruence relation resulting from a suitable Galios action. For case (ii), in addition to the congruence in case (i), a special partition of the finite field with p to the 2n elements is needed. In case (iii), the congruence method does not work. However, the Artin-Schreier Theorem allows us to compute the trace of the extension from the finite field with p to the pn elements to the fi nite field with p to the n elements rather explicitly.When the 2-adic order of each of the alphas is equal and it is less than the 2-adic order of n, we are able to determine S(f, n) explicitly. As a special case, we have explicit formulas for the sum of the monomial, S(ax to the power of (1+ (p to the power of alpha)).Most of the results of the thesis are new and generalize previous results by Carlitz, Baumert, McEliece, and Hou.

An n-dimensional integral quadratic form over Z is a polynomial of the form f = f(x1, … ,xn) =∑_(1≤i,j ≤n)▒a_ij x_i x_j, where a_ij=a_ji in Z. An integral quadratic form is called positive definite if f(α_1, …,α_n) > 0 whenever (0, … , 0) ≠(α_1, …,α_n) in Z^n. A positive definite integral quadratic form is said to be almost (primitively) universal if it (primitively) represents all but at most finitely many positive integers. In general, almost primitive universality is a stronger property than almost universality. Main results of this study are: every primitively universal form non-trivially represents zero over every ring Z_p of p-adic integers, and every almost universal form in five or more variables is almost primitively universal. With use of these results and improving a result of G. Pall from 1946, we then provide criteria to determine whether a given integral quadratic lattice over a ring Z_p of p-adic integers is Z_p-universal or primitively Z_p-universal. The criteria are stated explicitly in terms of a Jordan splitting of the lattice. As an application of the local criteria, we complete the determination of the universal positive definite classically integral quaternary quadratic forms that are almost primitively universal, which was initiated in work of N. Budarina in 2010. Finally, with the use of these local results, we identify 28 positive definite classically integral primitively universal quaternary quadratic forms which were not known previously, introducing a conjecture obtained by a numerical approach, which could possibly be the primitive counterpart to the Fifteen Theorem proved by J.H. Conway and W.A. Schneeberger in 1993.

Die Arbeit schließt eine Lücke im Preprint 'On the spinor norm and A_0(X, K_1) for quadrics' von Markus Rost. Die Ergebnisse von Rost wurden von Vladimir Voevodsky beim Beweis der Milnor-Vermutung benutzt.

Soient G un groupe fini et k un corps dont la caractéristique ne divise pas l’ordre de G. Il est établi, d’une part que pour que tous les caractères irréductibles de G soient réels, il faut et il suffit que G soit ambivalent; d’autre part, que pour que la restriction de l’involution canonique à chaque composante simple de l’algèbre de groupe kG soit une involution de première espèce, il faut et il suffit que G soit ambivalent. G est dit ortho-ambivalent par rapport à k si la restriction de l’involution canonique à chaque composante simple de l’algèbre de groupe kG est une involution orthogonale. Dans cette thèse, nous démontrons que les propositions suivantes sont équivalentes : (i) G est ortho-ambivalent par rapport à k ; (ii) G est totalement orthogonal ; (iii) G est ambivalent et tout caractère irréductible de G est de type 1 ; (iv) G est ambivalent et la somme des degrés des caractères irréductibles de G égale le nombre d’éléments de G dont les carrés sont égaux à l’élément neutre de G ; de plus, si la caractéristique de k est différente de 2, ces propositions sont équivalentes à la suivante : (v) G est ambivalent et le premier groupe de Witt tordu de la catégorie des kG-modules libres finiment engendrés munie d’une dualité définie en fonction de l’involution canonique sur kG est trivial. L’étude des 2-groupes spéciaux occupe une partie importante. Nous démontrons qu’un 2-groupe spécial ambivalent G d’application quadratique q est ortho-ambivalent par rapport à k si et seulement si pour toute forme linéaire s sur le centre de G (par rapport au corps à 2 éléments), l’invariant d’Arf de la forme quadratique induite par le transfert de q par s est nul. / Let G be a finite group and k a field whose characteristic does not divide the order of G. It is established, on the one hand that all irreducible characters of G are real if and only if G is ambivalent; in addition, that the restriction of the canonical involution on each simple component of the group algebra kG is an involution of first kind if and only if G is ambivalent. We say that G is ortho-ambivalent compared to k if the restriction of the canonical involution on each simple component of the group algebra kG is an orthogonal involution. In this thesis, we show that the following conditions are equivalent: (I) G is ortho-ambivalent compared to k; (II) G is totaly orthogonal; (III) G is ambivalent and any irreducible character of G is of type 1; (iv) G is ambivalent and the sum of the degrees of the irreducible characters of G equalizes the number of elements of G whose squares are equal to the neutral element of G; moreover, if the characteristic of k is different from 2, these conditions are equivalent to the following one: (v) G is ambivalent and the first twisted Witt group of the category of the free kG-modules finitely generated provided with a duality defined according to the canonical involution on kG is trivial. The study of the special 2-groups occupies a great part. We show that an ambivalent special 2-group G of quadratic application q is ortho-ambivalent compared to k if and only if for any linear form s on the center of G (compared to the field with 2 elements), the Arf invariant of the quadratic form induced by the transfer of q by s is null.

The thesis is concerned with the theory of binary quadratic forms with coefficients in the ring of algebraic integers of a number field. Under the assumption that the number field is of narrow class number one, there is developed a theory of composition of such quadratic forms. For a given discriminant, the composition is determined by a bijection between classes of quadratic forms and a so-called relative oriented class group (a group closely related to the class group). Furthermore, Bhargava cubes are generalized to cubes with entries from the ring of algebraic integers; by using the composition of quadratic forms, the composition of Bhargava cubes is proved in the generalized case. 1

In 2007, Domínguez-Molina et al. obtained the moment generating function (mgf) of the matrix variate closed skew normal distribution. In this paper, we use their mgf to obtain the first two moments and some additional properties of quadratic forms for the matrix variate skew normal distributions. The quadratic forms are particularly interesting because they are essentially correlation tests that introduce a new type of orthogonality condition.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-02-27Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:08:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 rayzaro_os_me_sjrp.pdf: 628267 bytes, checksum: 09181fbba2d539fd6135f0b473b3b345 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Neste trabalho vemos que a imagem de um ideal do anel dos inteiros dos corpos de números, via o homomorfismo de Minkowski, é um reticulado, chamado de reticulado algébrico. Assim, o principal objetivo deste trabalho é a construção de reticulados algébricos de dimensão 2; 4; 6 e 8, com densidade de centro ótimo. / In this work, we see that the image of an ideal from the algebraic integer ring of the numbers ¯elds by the Minkowski homomorphism is a lattice, named algebraic lattice. In this way, the main aim of this work is the construction of algebraic lattices of dimensions 2,4,6 and 8, with the center density excellent.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2005-02-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:08:01Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 prado_j_me_sjrp.pdf: 438115 bytes, checksum: 072493cefd49a6603f89810da896f173 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Seja K um corpo p-ádico, com p 6= 2 e F K uma extensão galoisiana de K de grau n: Então F pode ser visto como espa»co quadrático sobre K, com a forma quadrática dada por T(x) = trFjK(x2), para x 2 F: Determinaremos os invariantes determinante, dimensão e invariante de Hasse desta forma quadrática para n igual a 2,3 e 4. / Let K be a p-adic eld with p 6= 2 and F a Galois extension eld of K of degree n: Then F can be viewed as a quadratic space over K under the quadratic form T(x) = trFjK(x2) for x 2 F. The invariants of this quadratic form dimension, determinant and Hasse invariant are given in the case when n is equal to 2,3 and 4.

Orientador: Antonio Aparecido de Andrade / Banca: Andréia Cristina Ribeiro / Banca: Jéfferson Luiz Rocha Bastos / Resumo: Neste trabalho vemos que a imagem de um ideal do anel dos inteiros dos corpos de números, via o homomorfismo de Minkowski, é um reticulado, chamado de reticulado algébrico. Assim, o principal objetivo deste trabalho é a construção de reticulados algébricos de dimensão 2; 4; 6 e 8, com densidade de centro ótimo. / Abstract: In this work, we see that the image of an ideal from the algebraic integer ring of the numbers ¯elds by the Minkowski homomorphism is a lattice, named algebraic lattice. In this way, the main aim of this work is the construction of algebraic lattices of dimensions 2,4,6 and 8, with the center density excellent. / Mestre