M ATH 355

Problems in Elementary Number

Theory

1. #15 Let p be an odd prime number and let a be a quadratic residue modulo
p.
Prove that a is also a quadratic residue modulo p if and only if p 1 mod 4.
I will use the following a theorem.
Theorem 1. Let p be an odd prime number. Then
(

1, if p 1 mod 4
1
= (1)(p1)/2 =
1, if p 3 mod 4.
p
Solution:

Assume the hypothesis. Since a is a quadratic residue we have pa = 1.
This gives

a
1 a
1
1
=
=
.
(1) =
p
p
p
p
p
Thus a is a quadratic residue modulo p if and only if 1 is a quadratic
residue modulo p.
Finally, by Theorem 1, 1 is a quadratic residue modulo p if and only if p
1 mod 4.

2. #16
a) Does there exist a positive integer n such that n 2 + 1 is evenly divisible
by 7? Prove your assertion.
Solution:
No. Since n 2 +1 is divisible by 7 ifand only if n 2 +1 0 mod 7 if and only
if n 2 1 mod 7 if and only if 1
7 = 1 which is false by Theorem 1 above
1
since 7 1 mod 4 implies 7 = 1.
b) Does there exist a positive integer n such that n 2 + 1 is evenly divisible
by 13? Prove your assertion.
Solution:
2
Yes. Again we can think of this problem
1 as a congruence. That is n + 1
is
divisible by 13 if and only if 13 = 1. From Theorem 1 we have
1evenly

= 1 since 13 1 mod 4.
13
c) Find a necessary and sufficient condition on an odd prime number p for
there to exist a positive integer n such that n 2 +1 is evenly divisible by p.
Solution:
2
The pattern is clear to see. n + 1 is evenly divisible by p if and only if
1
p

= 1 if and only if p 1 mod 4.

3. #17 Prove or disprove the following statements.

a) Let p be an odd prime number and let a and b be quadratic nonresidues
modulo p. Then the congruence x 2 ab mod p is solvable.
Solution:
Assume the hypothesis.
Since a and b are quadratic nonresidues modulo p we have pa = pb = 1.

Then ab
= pa pb = (1)(1) = 1 which implies x 2 ab mod p is solvp
able.

4. #19 Let p be an odd prime number. Prove that if a and b are both quadratic
residues modulo p, then the quadratic congruence ax 2 b mod p is solvable.
What happens if a and b are both quadratic nonresidues modulo p? What
happens if one of a and b is a quadratic residue modulo p and the other is a
quadratic nonresidue modulo p?
Solution:
Assume the
Since a and b are both quadratic residues modulo p

hypothesis.
we have

a
p

b
p

= 1.

By multiplying both sides of the congruence by the inverse of a we find ax 2

b mod p is true if and only if x 2 a (p2) b mod p is true.
(p2) (p2) (p2)
b
b
From here we have a p b = a p
= pa
= (1)(p2) (1) = 1.
p
p
Thus it is solvable.
If both a and b are both quadratic nonresidues modulo p we would end up
with
(p2)
b
a
= (1)(p2) (1) = 1 since p 2 is always odd.
p
p
(p is an odd prime in the hypothesis)
Thus it is again solvable.
If
one
(p2)of aand b is a residue and one is a nonresidue we would end with
a
b
= (1)(p2) (1) = (1)(p2) (1) = 1.
p
p
(Note that it doesnt matter which is which, we get the same result)
This time the congruence is not solvable.

5. #23 Let p be an odd prime number and let n be a quadratic nonresidue modulo p. Prove that
X
d (p1)/2 0 mod p.
d |n,d >0

Solution:
P

By Eulers criterion we have

d |n,d >0

Let (n) =

P
d |n,d >0

d
p

d (p1)/2 =

P
d |n,d >0

d
.
p

Since dp is multiplicative (that is ab
= pa pb ) we know that (n) is multip
plicative.
a

Therefore if n = q 1a1 q 2a2 . . . q mm is the prime

power factorization of n then it is
ai
sufficient to have just one of the q i 0 mod p for it to be true that

a
m
(n) q 1a1 q 2a2 . . . (0) . . . q m
0 mod p.

Since we know that np = 1, at least one of the a i , from the prime power
factorization, must be odd. Otherwise, if all a i were even, n would be a perfect
square and we would have a contradiction. So lets consider just one of the
factors q a where q is prime and a is an odd positive integer since we know at
least one must exist.
a a

q
q
q
Since a is odd and p = p = 1 it must be the case that p = 1 since if
q
q a
=
1
we
would
have
= 1, a contradiction.
a
a
Thus we have
q

Note that
to 0.

a
P
n=0

a n
a n
a
X
X
X
d
q
q

(1)n 0 mod p.
n=0 p
n=0 p
n=0
d |q a ,d >0 p
X

(1)n is a sum of an even number of +1 and 1 terms which sums

Thus the result is proved.