Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/ii/paper-2/12i/c/i/solution

Since generates , it cannot lie in a proper subfield, so its minimal polynomial over has degree . Write it as
The identity and characteristic two give
Multiplying by and applying the linear map yields
This is a binary linear recurrence of order at most , so is the output of a linear-feedback shift register of length at most .

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