The natural extension of the Gauss map and Hermite best approximations.

Hermite best approximation vectors of a real number $\theta$ were introduced by Lagarias. A nonzero vector (p, q) $\in$ Z x N is a Hermite best approximation vector of $\theta$ if there exists $\Delta$ > 0 such that (p -- q$\theta$) 2 + q 2 /$\Delta$ $\le$ (a -- b$\theta$) 2 + b 2 /$\Delta$ for all nonzero (a, b) $\in$ Z 2. Hermite observed that if q > 0 then the fraction p/q must be a convergent of the continued fraction expansion of $\theta$ and Lagarias pointed out that some convergents are not associated with a Hermite best approximation vectors. In this note we show that the almost sure proportion of Hermite best approximation vectors among convergents is ln 3/ ln 4. The main tool of the proof is the natural extension of the Gauss map x $\in$]0, 1[$\rightarrow$ {1/x}.