Exercise · ZW-QUADRATIC-RESIDUE-003 · ★☆☆ Basic

What is the set of nonzero quadratic residues modulo 5?

Choose one option.

Show answer
  • A. {1, 4}

Explanation

The squares of 1, 2, 3, 4 are 1, 4, 4, 1, so only 1 and 4 appear. The option listing all nonzero classes confuses residues with all classes.

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Review the concept: Quadratic residue

A quadratic residue modulo n is an integer a with gcd(a,n)=1 such that the congruence x² ≡ a (mod n) has a solution. If it has no solution, a is a quadratic nonresidue.

\[x^2 \equiv a \pmod{p}\]

More practice problems: quadratic residue

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