Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/iii/paper-136/2/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 136 2 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-09-28
Every has a unique form with and . Its square class first records . An odd 2-adic unit is a square precisely when it is congruent to modulo : necessity follows by squaring an odd integer, and sufficiency follows from Hensel lemma applied in its standard -adic square-root form.
The odd residues modulo therefore give four unit square classes. Together with valuation parity this yieldsFor example, the classes of , , and form a basis of the square-class group of the 2-adic numbers.
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