--- a/scripts/polynomial/roots.m
+++ b/scripts/polynomial/roots.m
@@ -79,41 +79,39 @@
 
 function r = roots (v)
 
-  if (nargin != 1 || min (size (v)) > 1)
+  if (nargin != 1 || (! isvector (v) && ! isempty (v)))
     print_usage ();
   elseif (any (isnan (v) | isinf (v)))
     error ("roots: inputs must not contain Inf or NaN");
   endif
 
+  v = v(:);
   n = numel (v);
-  v = v(:);
 
-  ## If v = [ 0 ... 0 v(k+1) ... v(k+l) 0 ... 0 ], we can remove the
-  ## leading k zeros and n - k - l roots of the polynomial are zero.
+  ## If v = [ 0 ... 0 v(k+1) ... v(k+l) 0 ... 0 ],
+  ## we can remove the leading k zeros,
+  ## and n - k - l roots of the polynomial are zero.
 
-  if (isempty (v))
-    f = v;
-  else
-    f = find (v ./ max (abs (v)));
+  v_max = max (abs (v));
+  if (isempty (v) || v_max == 0)
+    r = [];
+    return;
   endif
+
+  f = find (v ./ v_max);
   m = numel (f);
 
-  if (m > 0 && n > 1)
-    v = v(f(1):f(m));
-    l = max (size (v));
-    if (l > 1)
-      A = diag (ones (1, l-2), -1);
-      A(1,:) = -v(2:l) ./ v(1);
-      r = eig (A);
-      if (f(m) < n)
-        tmp = zeros (n - f(m), 1);
-        r = [r; tmp];
-      endif
-    else
-      r = zeros (n - f(m), 1);
+  v = v(f(1):f(m));
+  l = numel (v);
+  if (l > 1)
+    A = diag (ones (1, l-2), -1);
+    A(1,:) = -v(2:l) ./ v(1);
+    r = eig (A);
+    if (f(m) < n)
+      r = [r; zeros(n - f(m), 1)];
     endif
   else
-    r = [];
+    r = zeros (n - f(m), 1);
   endif
 
 endfunction
@@ -125,11 +123,12 @@
 %! assert (r, [0; 0; 0; 0; 3; 3; 3; 3], 0.001);
 
 %!assert (isempty (roots ([])))
+%!assert (isempty (roots ([0 0])))
 %!assert (isempty (roots (1)))
 %!assert (roots ([1, -6, 11, -6]), [3; 2; 1], sqrt (eps))
 
-%!assert(roots ([1e-200, -1e200, 1]), 1e-200)
-%!assert(roots ([1e-200, -1e200 * 1i, 1]), -1e-200 * 1i)
+%!assert (roots ([1e-200, -1e200, 1]), 1e-200)
+%!assert (roots ([1e-200, -1e200 * 1i, 1]), -1e-200 * 1i)
 
 %!error roots ()
 %!error roots (1,2)