Properties of trinomials of height at least \(2\) (Q2152811): Difference between revisions

The authors investigate trinomials \(P = z^n + az^m + b\) with relatively prime integers \(0 < m < n\) and nonzero coefficients \(a\) and \(b\). Using a result of \textit{A. Schinzel} [Diss. Math. 329, 83 p. (1993; Zbl 0795.12003)] and supposing that \(n \ge 3\), \(b= \pm 1\) and \(a\) is an integer with \(|a| \ge n^2/3\), they prove that \(P\) is irreducible over \(\mathbb Q\), and furthermore conjecture that this always holds for \(|a| \ge 5\). Continuing previous work of the first author [J. Aust. Math. Soc. 96, No. 2, 231--243 (2014; Zbl 1311.11100)], results on the Mahler measure \(M(P)\) of trinomials as above with complex coefficients \(a\) and \(b\) are given in Theorems 3 and 4, with an explicit formula for \(M(P)\) in the case \(|a|-|b| \ge 1\). Finally, the \textit{house of} \(P\), i.e., the maximal absolute value of the roots of \(P\), is investigated, and lower bounds are proved for \(b = \pm 1\) and any real coefficient \(a \ge 2\).