Paper 4, Section II, E

Numbers and Sets | Part IA, 2011

State Fermat's Theorem and Wilson's Theorem.

Let pp be a prime.

(a) Show that if p≡3( mod 4)p \equiv 3(\bmod 4) then the equation x2≡−1( mod p)x^{2} \equiv-1(\bmod p) has no solution.

(b) By considering (p−12)\left(\frac{p-1}{2}\right) !, or otherwise, show that if p≡1( mod 4)p \equiv 1(\bmod 4) then the equation x2≡−1( mod p)x^{2} \equiv-1(\bmod p) does have a solution.

(c) Show that if p≡2( mod 3)p \equiv 2(\bmod 3) then the equation x3≡−1( mod p)x^{3} \equiv-1(\bmod p) has no solution other than −1( mod p)-1(\bmod p).

(d) Using the fact that 142≡−3( mod 199)14^{2} \equiv-3(\bmod 199), find a solution of x3≡−1( mod 199)x^{3} \equiv-1(\bmod 199) that is not −1( mod 199)-1(\bmod 199).

[Hint: how are the complex numbers −3\sqrt{-3} and −13\sqrt[3]{-1} related?]

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