Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/ia/paper-4/6e/iii/solution

Suppose is a quadratic nonresidue. On the nonzero residue classes modulo , define the involution
It is an involution because . A fixed point would satisfy , which is excluded by the quadratic nonresidue hypothesis. Thus it partitions the classes into disjoint pairs , each with product . Consequently
Now evaluate the same product by pairing every class with its own modular inverse. The only classes equal to their modular inverses solve and hence are and . All other pairs have product one. The complete product is therefore , so
Together with the preceding part, this is Euler's criterion; the pairing argument establishes the converse without assuming it.

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