Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/ii/paper-4/9h/iv/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 4 9H iv Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
True. First suppose with maximal. By the Chinese remainder theorem, choose and modulo all other prime-power factors. This is a unit, with Jacobi symbol one, because it is one modulo every prime. For , the binomial theorem givesbecause and all higher terms contain . It is therefore a witness to the desired failure.
If is square-free and composite, it has at least two prime factors. Choose to be a quadratic nonresidue at one prime and one at every other prime, again using the Chinese remainder theorem. Then . At a different odd prime , however, . These two cases prove that every odd composite has an Euler-Jacobi witness, unlike the situation for the ordinary Fermat primality test.
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