Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford / 2021 / Prelims / Mathematics I / 2 / a / iii / Solution

Over the finite field $F={\mathbb{Z}}_p$, a basis of the hyperplane has $n-1$ vectors by ii. Each vector on the hyperplane has a unique expression as a linear combination of that basis, and each coefficient has $p$ possibilities. ThusEquivalently, choose freely all coordinates except $x_j$, where $a_j\ne 0$, and solve uniquely for $x_j$. For $n=1$ this counts just the zero vector, consistently with $p^0=1$.