+ def _rank_computation1(self):
+ r"""
+ Compute the rank of this algebra using highly suspicious voodoo.
+
+ ALGORITHM:
+
+ We first compute the basis representation of the operator L_x
+ using polynomial indeterminates are placeholders for the
+ coordinates of "x", which is arbitrary. We then use that
+ matrix to compute the (polynomial) entries of x^0, x^1, ...,
+ x^d,... for increasing values of "d", starting at zero. The
+ idea is that. If we also add "coefficient variables" a_0,
+ a_1,... to the ring, we can form the linear combination
+ a_0*x^0 + ... + a_d*x^d = 0, and ask what dimension the
+ solution space has as an affine variety. When "d" is smaller
+ than the rank, we expect that dimension to be the number of
+ coordinates of "x", since we can set *those* to whatever we
+ want, but linear independence forces the coefficients a_i to
+ be zero. Eventually, when "d" passes the rank, the dimension
+ of the solution space begins to grow, because we can *still*
+ set the coordinates of "x" arbitrarily, but now there are some
+ coefficients that make the sum zero as well. So, when the
+ dimension of the variety jumps, we return the corresponding
+ "d" as the rank of the algebra. This appears to work.