An effective version of Belyi's Theorem

We compute bounds on covering maps that arise in Belyi's Theorem. In particular, we construct a library of height properties and then apply it to algorithms that produce Belyi maps. Such maps are used to give coverings from algebraic curves to the projective line ramified over at most three points. The computations here give upper bounds on the degree and coefficients of polynomials and rational functions over the rationals that send a given set of algebraic numbers to the set {0, 1, infinity} with the additional property that the only critical values are also contained in {0, 1, infinity}. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).