7 Jul
2004
7 Jul
'04
5:18 p.m.
Is there an easy way to tell when a + b*sqrt(k) is a perfect square in the extension field Q(sqrt(k))? For example, 3 + 2*sqrt(2) is the square of 1 + sqrt(2). I'm particularly interested in when a, b, k are integers, but a and b rationals would be OK, too. Thanks, Kristin Cordwell