Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/ia/paper-4/6e/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 4 6E i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The Fermat-Euler theorem states that, for an integer and any integer coprime to ,where the Euler totient function counts the residue classes coprime to .
Let be representatives of these residue classes. Multiplication by gives a permutation of them: each remains coprime to , and implies by cancellation using the modular inverse of . Multiplying all the resulting modular congruences yieldsThe product is itself coprime to , so it has a modular inverse and can be canceled. This proves the Fermat-Euler theorem. For , the congruence is trivial; no separate argument is needed.
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