Exercise · ZW-MULTIPLICATIVE-ORDER-005 · ★★☆ Intermediate

What is \( \operatorname{ord}_{10}(3) \)?

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  • A. 4

Explanation

The powers of 3 modulo 10 are 3, 9, 7, and 1, so the order is 4. Assuming \( 3^2 \equiv 1 \) is a common error.

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Review the concept: Multiplicative order

The multiplicative order of \( a \) modulo \( n \), \( \operatorname{ord}_n(a) \), is the smallest positive exponent that returns \( a \) to the unit class modulo \( n \).

\[\operatorname{ord}_n(a)=\min\{k\ge 1: a^k\equiv 1 \pmod{n}\}\]

More practice problems: multiplicative order

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