Tag Archives: notes

Quadratic Residues – Part I

[ Background required : modular arithmetic. Seriously. ] Warning: many of the proofs for theorems will be omitted in this set of notes, due to the length of the proofs. The basic question we’re trying to answer in this series … Continue reading

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Order of an Element Modulo m and Applications – Part II

Having introduced the concept of the (multiplicative) order of a modulo m, let us use it to solve some problems. Problem 1. Prove that if n > 1 is an integer, then n does not divide 2n – 1. Proof. … Continue reading

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Order of an Element Modulo m and Applications – Part I

Background required : modular arithmetic If you’ve any experience observing powers of numbers, you’d have noticed that the last digit runs in cycles: e.g. if you take the last digits of successive powers of 7, you get 7 → 9 → … Continue reading

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Number Theory and Calculus/Analysis

Background required: modular arithmetic, calculus. Once in a while, I’ll post something which offers a glimpse into more advanced mathematics. Here’s one. Example 1 For starters, we know from basic algebra that . Let’s see if there’s a corresponding result … Continue reading

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Number Theory Notes (22 Oct 2011) – Part III

Finally, we shall solve two more problems – the last problem is rather surprising since at first glance, it doesn’t appear to involve congruences. Problem 4 : Prove that if n is a perfect square, then . Solution : this is rather … Continue reading

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Number Theory Notes (22 Oct 2011) – Part II

Now we will solve actual problems with the theory we’ve just learnt. Problem 1 : Find all integers x such that x ÷ 5 has remainder 3, x ÷ 7 has remainder 6 and x ÷ 9 has remainder 2. Solution : This can be … Continue reading

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Number Theory Notes (22 Oct 2011) – Part I

Background required: none. For the first lecture, we shall look at congruence and modular arithmetic. Many of you may have already known (at least on an intuitive level) that square integers can only end in 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, … Continue reading

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