Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-analytic-number-theory-and-elliptic-curves-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2009/b/6/a/solution

We use two-isogeny descent, stating the arithmetic results involved. For
define the two-torsion square-class homomorphism by , , and otherwise. Its kernel is the image of the dual two-isogeny formula; the analogous map has kernel the image of the forward two-isogeny formula. The two-isogeny rank formula is
The images have signed squarefree representatives supported on primes dividing and , respectively. This prime-support bound in two-isogeny descent follows by valuation comparison: if a prime does not divide , the valuations of at that prime must be even, whether positive or negative. A candidate squarefree class is represented precisely when its quartic covering in a two-isogeny descent
has the corresponding rational solution, apart from the separately included identity and two-torsion cases; clearing denominators permits coprime integers .
Here , so
On the possible classes are . They all occur: the identity gives one, gives , and gives . Since the image is a group, their product also gives five. Thus its image has order four.
On , the quadratic factor is strictly positive for real . Every nonzero rational -coordinate is therefore positive. The prime-support bound in two-isogeny descent restricts its image to . The identity gives one and gives , that is class five.
Class three is impossible. Its quartic covering in a two-isogeny descent would require
Modulo three this is , so three divides and at least one of . They cannot both be divisible. If and , the right side has valuation exactly one, from . If and , it again has valuation exactly one, from . Either case contradicts its being a square. Class fifteen is then impossible too, since multiplying it by the known image class five would give class three.
Hence the second image is exactly , of order two. The rank formula gives
This proves the rank-one elliptic curve with coefficients five and minus five calculation, including the local obstruction that removes the spurious extra descent classes.

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