Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2003/ia/paper-4/6c/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 ia Paper 4 6C i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For a prime number , every nonzero residue class has a unique multiplicative inverse modulo : Bezout identity supplies one because its representative is coprime to , and cancellation modulo a prime gives uniqueness. Pair each residue with its inverse. The only unpaired residues satisfy , so ; the Euclid lemma gives or . For odd , these are distinct. Every other pair contributes one to the product of all nonzero residues, leavingFor , as well. This proves Wilson theorem in all cases.
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