Rational degree is polynomially related to degree
We prove that $\mathrm{deg}(f) \leq \widetilde{O}(\mathrm{rdeg}(f)^3)$ for every Boolean function $f$, where $\mathrm{deg}(f)$ is the degree of $f$ and $\mathrm{rdeg}(f)$ is the rational degree of $f$. This resolves the second of the three open problems stated by Nisan and Szegedy, and attributed to Fortnow, in 1994.
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