Continuous Amortization: A Non-Probabilistic Adaptive Analysis Technique

Let f be a univariate polynomial with real coefficients, f ∈ R[X]. Subdivision algorithms based on algebraic techniques (e.g., Sturm or Descartes methods) are widely used for isolating the roots of f in a given interval. In this paper, we consider subdivision algorithms based on purely numerical primitives such as function evaluation. Such methods have adaptive complexity, are local, and are also applicable when f is transcendental. The complexity analysis of adaptive algorithms is a new challenge for computer science. In this paper, we introduce a form of continuous amortization for adaptive complexity. Our analysis is applied to an evaluation-based root isolation algorithm called EVAL. EVAL is based on an algorithm of Mitchell and can also be seen as a 1-dimensional analogue of algorithms by Plantinga and Vegter for meshing curves and surfaces. The algorithm itself is simple, but its complexity analysis is not. Our main result is an O(d3(log d+L)) bound on the subdivision-tree size of EVAL for the benchmark problem of isolating all real roots of a square-free integer polynomial f of degree d and logarithmic height L. Our proof introduces several novel techniques: First, we provide an adaptive upper bound on the complexity of EVAL using an integral, analogous to integral bounds provided by Ruppert in a different context. Such integrals can be viewed as a form of continuous amortization. In addition, we use two algebraic amortization techniques: one is based on the standard Mahler-Davenport root bounds, but the other, based on evaluation bounds, is new.