Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2025 / iii / Paper 125 / 1 / a

The Hasse theorem for elliptic curves states thatLet $\pi$ be the Frobenius isogeny of an elliptic curve and put $a=p+1-\#E({\mathbb{F}}_p)$. The degree on $\mathrm{End}(E)$ is a positive-definite quadratic form, its associated bilinear form gives $\mathrm{tr}(\pi )=a$, and $\mathrm{deg}\pi =p$. Consequentlyfor all integers $m,n$. If $a^2-4p>0$, this real quadratic form is indefinite, so by density of rational slopes it is negative at some nonzero integer pair $(m,n)$, contradicting nonnegativity of the degree. Hence $a^2\le 4p$, which is the claimed bound.

Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.