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arXiv · 2112.02556

Windmills of the minds: an algorithm for Fermat's Two Squares Theorem

Hing Lun Chan
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Abstract

The two squares theorem of Fermat is a gem in number theory, with a spectacular one-sentence "proof from the Book". Here is a formalisation of this proof, with an interpretation using windmill patterns. The theory behind involves involutions on a finite set, especially the parity of the number of fixed points in the involutions. Starting as an existence proof that is non-constructive, there is an ingenious way to turn it into a constructive one. This gives an algorithm to compute the two squares by iterating the two involutions alternatively from a known fixed point.

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Hing Lun Chan. 2021-12-05. Windmills of the minds: an algorithm for Fermat's Two Squares Theorem. https://doi.org/10.1145/3497775.3503673

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