Editing Quadratic sieve (section)

{{Short description|Integer factorization algorithm}}
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 [[integer]]s under 100 decimal digits or so, and is considerably simpler than the number field sieve. It is a general-purpose factorization algorithm, meaning that its running time depends solely on the size of the integer to be factored, and not on special structure or properties. It was invented by [[Carl Pomerance]] in 1981 as an improvement to [[Richard Schroeppel|Schroeppel]]'s linear sieve.<ref>Carl Pomerance, Analysis and Comparison of Some Integer Factoring Algorithms, in Computational Methods in Number Theory, Part I, H.W. Lenstra, Jr. and R. Tijdeman, eds., Math. Centre Tract 154, Amsterdam, 1982, pp 89-139.</ref>