The book deals with algorithmic problems related to binary quadratic
forms. Written by a world leader in number theory, it is the only book
focusing on the algorithmic aspects of the theory. It deals with
problems such as finding the representations of an integer by a form
with integer coefficients, finding the minimum of a form with real
coefficients and deciding equivalence of two forms. In order to solve
those problems, the book introduces the reader to important areas of
number theory such as diophantine equations, reduction theory of
quadratic forms, geometry of numbers and algebraic number theory. The
book explains applications to cryptography. It requires only basic
mathematical knowledge.