Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 1G Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
An Euler pseudoprime is an odd composite number with satisfying , where the right side is the Jacobi symbol. A weaker convention requires only ; it is distinguished below. A strong pseudoprime, with and odd, satisfies or for some .
By the Chinese remainder theorem for unit groups, the unit group modulo is . Modulo , . Thus the only possible sign in is positive. Modulo , writing for a primitive root, the condition is , equivalently . Consequently has multiplicative order dividing in each factor. Its square is either or in each factor, but these signs must agree: modulo , the Legendre symbol is for square and for square , and the same is true modulo . The Euler pseudoprime condition additionally requires the product of those Legendre symbols to be . HenceEach sign has two roots modulo each prime, hence four roots modulo . There are eight pseudoprime bases modulo under the Jacobi symbol convention. Under the weaker sign-only convention there are instead sixteen pseudoprime bases, since the two signs of the squares need not agree; the stated equivalence therefore specifically uses the Jacobi symbol convention.
For the strong pseudoprime condition, . Since the unit group has exponent of a finite group , the only possibilities are or . The six pseudoprime bases are . For example , while has but . Thus the strong-pseudoprime pseudoprime bases are not a subgroup.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 3 1H Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Let be the unit group of residue classes modulo , and partition it into the set of bases satisfying the displayed congruence and the set of Euler witnesses that do not. If , multiplication by maps injectively into : indeed, if and also lay in , then the multiplicativity of the Jacobi symbol would giveCancelling the invertible congruence for would say that , a contradiction. Hence , so at least half of the coprime bases are witnesses.
It remains to construct one witness for every odd composite number . If is not squarefree, choose an odd prime number with . The Chinese remainder theorem gives a unit such that for the full power and modulo every other prime-power factor. The binomial theorem givesSince , this is neither nor modulo , whereas the Jacobi symbol is always or . Thus is a witness.
If is squarefree and composite, choose distinct primes . By the Chinese remainder theorem, choose to be a quadratic nonresidue modulo and to satisfy modulo every other prime divisor of . Then , while , so the Euler congruence again fails. This proves the existence of an Euler witness for every odd composite integer.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ii Paper 1 1F Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
For an odd composite and a unit modulo , is a Fermat pseudoprime to base whenIt is an Euler pseudoprime to base whenwhere the right side is the Jacobi symbol.
By the Chinese remainder theorem,and . The condition is automatic modulo and . Modulo it hassolutions. Thus there are Fermat bases, giving proportion
For the Euler condition, modulo , so the Jacobi symbol must be . The power condition is automatic modulo , while modulo it again restricts to the two solutions of . For each of those two residues, exactly half of the choices modulo and have Jacobi symbol . Hence there are Euler bases and proportion