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Primitive Roots and Unit Groups Modulo N — Examples
1 · Prerequisites
- Binary Operations, Monoids, Groups and Subgroups
- Congruences, the Integers Modulo n and the Chinese Remainder Theorem
- Construction of the Natural Numbers
- Construction of the Real Numbers via Cauchy Sequences
- Construction of the Real Numbers via Dedekind Cuts
- Cosets, Index and Lagrange's Theorem
- Countability and Uncountability
- Cyclic Groups and Direct Products
- Divisibility, Greatest Common Divisors and Bézout's Identity
- Finite Counting, Factorials and Binomial Coefficients
- Foundations of the Real Numbers for Analysis
- Group Homomorphisms and the Isomorphism Theorems
- Normal Subgroups and Quotient Groups
- Polynomial Rings, the Division Algorithm and Roots
- Primes, Euclid's Lemma and the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
- Primitive Roots and Unit Groups Modulo N
- Relations, Functions, and Quotients
- Rings, Subrings, Integral Domains and Fields
- Roots, Rational Powers, and Classical Inequalities
- The Fundamental Theorem of Finite Abelian Groups
- The ZFC Axioms and the Basic Set Constructions
2 · Summary
3 · Logical flowchart
4 · Definitions, theorems and proofs
None yet.
5 · Examples, counterexamples and false statements
The primitive roots modulo are
Example
The primitive roots modulo are
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The prime modulus .
A unit is a primitive root modulo when its order is (Primitive roots modulo ).
If generates a cyclic group of order , its generators are for the exponent classes coprime to (The generators of a cyclic group of order are the with , so there are of them).
Verification
The successive powers of modulo for exponents through are , with no earlier . Thus has order and is primitive by [L1].
The exponent classes coprime to are ; selecting these entries from step 1.1 gives , which is the displayed set after sorting.
An index table modulo turns multiplication into addition modulo
Example
Relative to the primitive root modulo , the powers for exponents through are
Thus, for example, , , and .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The displayed power table modulo .
The index is the unique exponent class relative to a primitive root (The index of a unit relative to a primitive root).
Products add indices and powers multiply indices modulo (Index calculus: products become sums and powers become scalar multiples modulo ).
A unit of order is a primitive root modulo (Primitive roots modulo ).
Verification
Multiplying each displayed residue by modulo gives the next one and returns to , so the table is correct and contains every nonzero class exactly once. In particular, has order and is primitive by [L3].
Since , [L2] gives for their indices; and gives . Both agree with the entries read using [L1].
is a primitive root modulo by testing the prime divisors of
Example
The class of is a primitive root modulo .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The prime modulus and the unit class of .
A unit is a primitive root modulo when its order is (Primitive roots modulo ).
If an element has finite order , its powers equal the identity exactly at exponents divisible by (If then iff is an integer multiple of , the powers are distinct, and has exactly elements; if has infinite order then only for ).
Verification
Direct calculation gives and ; in particular .
By step 1.1 and [L3], the order divides . Every proper divisor of divides either or , so step 1.1 and [L3] exclude every proper divisor. The order is therefore by [L2], and [L1] makes primitive.
is primitive modulo every power of
Example
For every , the class of is a primitive root modulo .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The integer and powers of the odd prime .
For an odd prime , an integer with , and , the class of has order modulo (For odd prime , , and , the class of has order modulo ).
If an element has order , then its fourth power has order (In a cyclic group of order , has order ).
An element of order has its th power equal to the identity exactly when (If then iff is an integer multiple of , the powers are distinct, and has exactly elements; if has infinite order then only for ).
A class modulo is a unit exactly when its representative is coprime to , and a primitive root is a unit of order (For , is a unit if and only if , Primitive roots modulo ).
Verification
Modulo , are , so has order . This settles .
Let and let be the order of modulo . Since , [L1] says that has order . Hence [L2] gives .
Reduction modulo and step 1.1 show that by [L3]. Therefore , and step 1.2 yields by [L4]. Since is a unit by [L5], it is primitive by the definition in [L5].
The unit group modulo decomposes as
Example
The unit group modulo has the decomposition
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The factorisation .
The unit-group structure theorem decomposes a modulus into its prime-power unit groups (The unit group modulo is the product of its odd-prime cyclic factors and its explicit -power factor).
Euler's totient is multiplicative on coprime positive arguments (Euler's totient is multiplicative: implies for positive ).
Verification
By [L1], , , and .
Their product is . Its order is , agreeing with by [L2].
and every integer coprime to has eightieth power congruent to one
Example
One has and . Consequently every coprime to satisfies .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The factorisation .
Carmichael's function is the least common multiple of its prime-power values (Carmichael's function on prime powers and its least-common-multiple formula).
If , then (If , then ).
Euler's totient is multiplicative on coprime arguments (Euler's totient is multiplicative: implies for positive ).
Verification
By [L1], , while [L3] gives .
Apply [L2] to the value in step 1.1 to obtain for every coprime to .
although
Example
The number satisfies
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The factorisation .
Carmichael's function is the least common multiple of its prime-power values (Carmichael's function on prime powers and its least-common-multiple formula).
Euler's totient is multiplicative on coprime positive arguments (Euler's totient is multiplicative: implies for positive ).
Verification
By [L1], .
By [L2], , which is strictly larger than the value in step 1.1.
has order but is not cyclic
Statement refuted
The order of a unit group need not be the order of one of its elements: has order but is not cyclic.
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The modulus .
The unit-group structure theorem gives the product of the prime-power factors (The unit group modulo is the product of its odd-prime cyclic factors and its explicit -power factor).
An element of finite order has its th power equal to the identity exactly when (If then iff is an integer multiple of , the powers are distinct, and has exactly elements; if has infinite order then only for ).
Counterexample
By [L1], , which has elements.
For every pair , [L2] gives and , so . Another application of [L2] shows its order divides . Thus no element has order and the group is not cyclic.
but every unit modulo has square one
Statement refuted
Euler's totient need not equal the exponent of the unit group: , but .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The modulus .
is the exponent of the unit group (Carmichael's function as the exponent of ).
Counterexample
The four units are , and each square is congruent to modulo .
Thus their group has four elements but exponent by [L1]; this also agrees with [L2]. Hence .
The four square roots of one modulo are
Example
The solutions of are
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The modulus .
Every unit modulo has a unique form with and modulo (For , , generated uniquely as ).
Verification
Any solution of is a unit, with inverse . It therefore has the unique form in [L1]. Squaring that form gives , which is exactly when , equivalently or .
Repeated squaring gives .
Combining the two values of from step 1.1 with the two signs gives , namely modulo ; uniqueness in [L1] shows there are no others.
The positive moduli below admitting primitive roots are
Example
The positive integers below that admit primitive roots are
Facts & Assumptions
Given: The positive integers .
A modulus admits a primitive root exactly when it is , , , an odd prime power, or twice an odd prime power (A positive integer admits a primitive root exactly when it is , , , , or for an odd prime ).
Verification
Below , the odd prime powers are , and twice such a power gives ; together with this is the displayed list.
The omitted positive integers are : and are powers with , , and has two odd prime factors, so [L1] excludes each.
Sources
Standard references
Recommended treatments; not extraction sources.
- William Stein, Elementary Number Theory, Example 2.5.13
- Peter Hackman, Elementary Number Theory, Example C.I.2
- William Stein, Elementary Number Theory, Example 2.5.9
- William Stein, Elementary Number Theory, Theorem 2.5.11
- Peter Hackman, Elementary Number Theory, Example C.V.1
- William Stein, Elementary Number Theory, §2.5
- William Stein, Elementary Number Theory, Example 2.5.10
- Peter Hackman, Elementary Number Theory, Example C.IV.9