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February 28, 2011 21:45
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When is an odd prime the sum of two squares?
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Claim: | |
Let p be an odd prime number. Then the following are equivalent: | |
1. p is congruent to 1 modulo 4. | |
2. There is some natural number m such that m^2 + 1 is a multiple of p. | |
3. p is the sum of two squares. | |
Proof: | |
We'll prove (1) => (2) => (3) => (1). | |
(1) => (2): | |
Let p = 4k + 1, where k is a natural number. | |
By Fermat's little theorem, n^p = n (mod p), for every n < p. | |
Equivalently, n^(p-1) = 1 (mod p), and p-1 = 4k so p | n^4k - 1. | |
But n^4k - 1 = (n^2k + 1)(n^2k - 1), and p is prime, | |
so either p | (n^2k + 1) or p | (n^2k - 1). | |
So (2) holds, for some m = n^k, unless p | (n^2k - 1) | |
for every n < p. But the polynomial n^2k - 1 has at most | |
2k roots in the field Z_p, so this cannot be. | |
(2) => (3): | |
If p | (m^2 + 1), then in Z[i] we have p | (m + i)(m - i), | |
and clearly p divides neither (m + i) nor (m - i), | |
so p is not a prime in Z[i]. Therefore p can be factorised | |
in Z[i] (since Z[i] is a principal ideal domain, hence | |
not-a-prime implies not-irreducible). But p is prime in | |
Z, so it must factorise as (a + bi)(a - bi) for integers | |
a and b, hence be equal to a^2 + b^2. | |
(3) => (1): | |
The only squares in Z_4 are 0 and 1, so the sum of two squares | |
must be 0, 1, or 2. But the sum is odd, so it must be 1 (modulo 4). |
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