Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/ia/paper-4/8b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 ia Paper 4 8B Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For , Euler's theorem allows , since are coprime integers. At every congruence holds and one may take . Let be the multiplicative order of modulo . Write a nonnegative exponent with using the Euclidean division. Then , so implies by minimality of . Thus . Negative exponents, if included, give the same conclusion using the inverse residue of .
A prime divisor of a Fermat number is odd, and satisfies . Therefore , so its multiplicative order divides . It does not divide , since modulo the odd prime. Every divisor of is a power of two, henceBy Fermat's little theorem and the divisibility just proved, , giving .
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