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In mathematics, Minkowski's theorem in the geometry of numbers applies to convex symmetric sets and lattices; it relates the
number of contained lattice points to the volume of such a set.
Let L be a lattice in Rn with determinant d(L). The simplest example is
the lattice Zn of all points with integer
coefficients; its determinant is 1.
Consider a convex subset S of Rn that
is symmetric with respect to the origin, meaning that x in S implies −x in S.
Minkowski's theorem states that if the volume of S is bigger than 2nd(L), then S
must contain at least 3 lattice points (the origin, another point, and its negative).
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