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   Author  Topic: Cubic Diophantine Equation  (Read 1486 times)
Barukh
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Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« on: Oct 31st, 2008, 10:15am »
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Let p = 2n + 1 be a prime number.  How many integer solutions mod p has the following equation:
 
y2 - x3 + 3x - 1 = 0 mod p

 


Note: The equation was changed.
« Last Edit: Oct 31st, 2008, 9:47pm by Barukh » IP Logged
Eigenray
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #1 on: Oct 31st, 2008, 3:36pm »
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Well, to start with, it is the integer closest to p which is congruent to the coefficient of xp-1 in -(x3-3x+1)(p-1)/2.
« Last Edit: Oct 31st, 2008, 10:19pm by Eigenray » IP Logged
Barukh
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #2 on: Oct 31st, 2008, 9:45pm »
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Sorry, I mis-stated the problem (which made it much harder IMHO).
 
Let's try to go with the easier one first...
 
Sorry for inconvenience.
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #3 on: Oct 31st, 2008, 10:25pm »
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Yes that is much easier.  But why is p a Fermat prime?  It's enough that p is not 1 mod 3.  Or did you have a different proof in mind?
 
Theorem: For a cubic polynomial f(x), the number of solutions to y2 f(x) mod p is congruent, mod p, to the coefficient of xp-1 in -f(x)(p-1)/2.
 
But I've seen this result before so it would feel like cheating to give the proof right away.  Does someone else want to try?
« Last Edit: Oct 31st, 2008, 10:52pm by Eigenray » IP Logged
Barukh
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #4 on: Nov 1st, 2008, 12:26am »
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on Oct 31st, 2008, 10:25pm, Eigenray wrote:
It's enough that p is not 1 mod 3.  Or did you have a different proof in mind?

No, your condition is sufficient, and the proof I had in mind uses this condition. My formulation is a special case of that.
 
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Theorem: For a cubic polynomial f(x), the number of solutions to y2 f(x) mod p is congruent, mod p, to the coefficient of xp-1 in -f(x)(p-1)/2.

I haven't heard about this theorem before, but after seeing it, it does make sense, and probably is based on Euler criterion for quadratic residues.
 
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #5 on: Nov 1st, 2008, 6:31pm »
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It suddenly hit me that there's a simpler solution that I didn't notice because I had been thinking about the harder problem: everything is a cube.
« Last Edit: Nov 1st, 2008, 6:32pm by Eigenray » IP Logged
Barukh
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #6 on: Nov 2nd, 2008, 8:31am »
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on Nov 1st, 2008, 6:31pm, Eigenray wrote:
everything is a cube.

If I get you right, yes, that's the solution I had in mind. Very nice!
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #7 on: Nov 2nd, 2008, 11:50am »
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Here are two related problems: how many solutions are there to:
 
(1) y2 = x3 + ax mod p, p a Mersenne prime Wink
 
(2) y2 = x3 + ax2 mod p.
 
 
Both can be answered using the theorem I quoted, but there are also more direct(?) proofs.
« Last Edit: Nov 2nd, 2008, 11:51am by Eigenray » IP Logged
Barukh
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #8 on: Nov 3rd, 2008, 11:38pm »
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on Nov 2nd, 2008, 11:50am, Eigenray wrote:
Here are two related problems: how many solutions are there to:
 
(1) y2 = x3 + ax mod p, p a Mersenne prime Wink
 
(2) y2 = x3 + ax2 mod p.

Assuming a 0 mod p, I get the following:
 
1)  p
2)  p - (a/p), where the last is Legendre symbol.
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Re: Cubic Diophantine Equation  
« Reply #9 on: Nov 4th, 2008, 11:11pm »
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Yep.  I thought it was interesting how the three problems can be solved individually using quite distinct arguments, or all using that one theorem I quoted.
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