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Choose a random polynomial $P\in\mathbb{Z}[x]$ of degree $n$ and coefficients $\leq n$ and $\geq-n$.

Let $r_1,\ldots,r_n$ be the roots of $P$ and consider $$G=\operatorname{Gal}(\mathbb{Q}(r_1,\ldots,r_n)/\mathbb{Q})$$

What is the probability, as $n\to\infty,$ that $G$ is solvable? (I assume 0.) Who first proved this?

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I remember reading the result that $G$ is a symmetric group with probability $1$ as $n\rightarrow \infty$. I will try to find a reference. – Alexander Gruber Jan 11 at 18:34

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up vote 16 down vote accepted

$G\cong S_n$ with probability $1$ as $n\rightarrow \infty$. This was proven first by

B. L. van der Waerden, Die Seltenheit der Gleichungen mit Affekt, Mathematische Annalen 109:1 (1934), pp. 13–16.

Look at this thread for more references.

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Why «evidently»? – Mariano Suárez-Alvarez Jan 11 at 19:11
@MarianoSuárez-Alvarez Because I didn't know that was the first proof before I looked for the reference. – Alexander Gruber Jan 11 at 19:34
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For further work on this (getting error estimates on how close the probability is to 1 in a large box), look at Theorem 1.6 and the paragraph following it in www.technion.ac.il/~weiss/Distn-v56.pdf. – KCd Jan 11 at 19:40

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