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The quadratic sieve algorithm (QS) is an integer factorization algorithm and, in practice, the second-fastest method known (after the general number field sieve). It is still the fastest for integers under 100 decimal digits or so, and is considerably simpler than the number field sieve.
The principle of the number field sieve (both special and general) can be understood as an improvement to the simpler rational sieve or quadratic sieve. When using such algorithms to factor a large number n, it is necessary to search for smooth numbers (i.e. numbers with small prime factors) of order n 1/2.
The sieve methods discussed in this article are not closely related to the integer factorization sieve methods such as the quadratic sieve and the general number field sieve. Those factorization methods use the idea of the sieve of Eratosthenes to determine efficiently which members of a list of numbers can be completely factored into small primes.
Dixon's method is based on finding a congruence of squares modulo the integer N which is intended to factor. Fermat's factorization method finds such a congruence by selecting random or pseudo-random x values and hoping that the integer x 2 mod N is a perfect square (in the integers):
Since this is a quadratic irrational, the continued fraction must be periodic (unless n is square, in which case the factorization is obvious). It has a time complexity of O ( e 2 log n log log n ) = L n [ 1 / 2 , 2 ] {\displaystyle O\left(e^{\sqrt {2\log n\log \log n}}\right)=L_{n}\left[1/2,{\sqrt {2}}\right]} , in the O and L ...
The second-fastest is the multiple polynomial quadratic sieve, and the fastest is the general number field sieve. The Lenstra elliptic-curve factorization is named after Hendrik Lenstra . Practically speaking, ECM is considered a special-purpose factoring algorithm, as it is most suitable for finding small factors.
The primary improvement that quadratic sieve makes over Fermat's factorization method is that instead of simply finding a square in the sequence of , it finds a subset of elements of this sequence whose product is a square, and it does this in a highly efficient manner.
The Legendre sieve has a problem with fractional parts of terms accumulating into a large error, which means the sieve only gives very weak bounds in most cases. For this reason it is almost never used in practice, having been superseded by other techniques such as the Brun sieve and Selberg sieve. However, since these more powerful sieves are ...