Skip to content

Higher Descent on Pell Conics I. From Legendre to Selmer

Franz Lemmermeyer

math.NTarXiv:math/0311309

Abstract

This article deals with the history of certain aspects of the Pell equation X2 - D y2 = 4. We briefly discuss explicit units, and then study the history of Legendre's equations ax2 - b y2 = 4 with ab=D.

Create a lesson