On the number of real roots of random polynomials

Source abstract

Roots of random polynomials have been studied intensively in both analysis and probability for a long time. A famous result by Ibragimov and Maslova, generalizing earlier fundamental works of Kac and Erdős–Offord, showed that the expectation of the number of real roots is [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we determine the true nature of the error term by showing that the expectation equals [Formula: see text]. Prior to this paper, the error term [Formula: see text] has been known only for polynomials with Gaussian coefficients.