- #1
cezarion
- 5
- 0
I was just wondering if somebody could give me a very quick definition and work through a short example. We have just covered quadratic forms, and one of the questions we have been given is on calculating signatures.
I found several online references that say the signature relates to the number of positive and negative squares, but I am not sure how to apply this. For instance, how would I go about getting the signature of
[tex]a b + b c + c d[/tex] ?
I immediately see
[tex].5(a + b)^2 + .5(b + c)^2 + .5(c + d)^2 - .5a^2 - b^2 - c^2 - .5d^2[/tex]
gives three positive squares and four negative sqares, but I have no idea if this is the correct way to approach the problem. Thank you for your assistance!
I found several online references that say the signature relates to the number of positive and negative squares, but I am not sure how to apply this. For instance, how would I go about getting the signature of
[tex]a b + b c + c d[/tex] ?
I immediately see
[tex].5(a + b)^2 + .5(b + c)^2 + .5(c + d)^2 - .5a^2 - b^2 - c^2 - .5d^2[/tex]
gives three positive squares and four negative sqares, but I have no idea if this is the correct way to approach the problem. Thank you for your assistance!