Generic polynomial
title: "Generic polynomial" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["field-(mathematics)", "galois-theory"] topic_path: "science/mathematics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_polynomial" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
In mathematics, a generic polynomial refers usually to a polynomial whose coefficients are indeterminates. For example, if a, b, and c are indeterminates, the generic polynomial of degree two in x is ax^2+bx+c.
However in Galois theory, a branch of algebra, and in this article, the term generic polynomial has a different, although related, meaning: a generic polynomial for a finite group G and a field F is a monic polynomial P with coefficients in the field of rational functions L = F(t1, ..., t**n) in n indeterminates over F, such that the splitting field M of P has Galois group G over L, and such that every extension K/F with Galois group G can be obtained as the splitting field of a polynomial which is the specialization of P resulting from setting the n indeterminates to n elements of F. This is sometimes called F-generic or relative to the field F; a Q-generic polynomial, which is generic relative to the rational numbers is called simply generic.
The existence, and especially the construction, of a generic polynomial for a given Galois group provides a complete solution to the inverse Galois problem for that group. However, not all Galois groups have generic polynomials, a counterexample being the cyclic group of order eight.
Groups with generic polynomials
- The symmetric group S**n. This is trivial, as
:x^n + t_1 x^{n-1} + \cdots + t_n
:is a generic polynomial for S**n.
- Cyclic groups C**n, where n is not divisible by eight. Lenstra showed that a cyclic group does not have a generic polynomial if n is divisible by eight, and G. W. Smith explicitly constructs such a polynomial in case n is not divisible by eight.
- The cyclic group construction leads to other classes of generic polynomials; in particular the dihedral group D**n has a generic polynomial if and only if n is not divisible by eight.
- The quaternion group Q8.
- Heisenberg groups H_{p^3} for any odd prime p.
- The alternating group A4.
- The alternating group A5.
- Reflection groups defined over Q, including in particular groups of the root systems for E6, E7, and E8.
- Any group which is a direct product of two groups both of which have generic polynomials.
- Any group which is a wreath product of two groups both of which have generic polynomials.
Examples of generic polynomials
::data[format=table]
| Group | Generic Polynomial |
|---|---|
| C**2 | x^2-t |
| C**3 | x^3-tx^2+(t-3)x+1 |
| S**3 | x^3-t(x+1) |
| V | (x^2-s)(x^2-t) |
| C**4 | x^4-2s(t^2+1)x^2+s^2t^2(t^2+1) |
| D**4 | x^4 - 2stx^2 + s^2t(t-1) |
| S**4 | x^4+sx^2-t(x+1) |
| D**5 | x^5+(t-3)x^4+(s-t+3)x^3+(t^2-t-2s-1)x^2+sx+t |
| S**5 | x^5+sx^3-t(x+1) |
| :: |
Generic polynomials are known for all transitive groups of degree 5 or less.
Generic dimension
The generic dimension for a finite group G over a field F, denoted gd_{F}G, is defined as the minimal number of parameters in a generic polynomial for G over F, or \infty if no generic polynomial exists.
Examples:
- gd_{\mathbb{Q}}A_3=1
- gd_{\mathbb{Q}}S_3=1
- gd_{\mathbb{Q}}D_4=2
- gd_{\mathbb{Q}}S_4=2
- gd_{\mathbb{Q}}D_5=2
- gd_{\mathbb{Q}}S_5=2
Publications
- Jensen, Christian U., Ledet, Arne, and Yui, Noriko, Generic Polynomials, Cambridge University Press, 2002
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