An elementary proof of the quadratic reciprocity law教程.pdfVIP

An Elementary Proof of the Quadratic Reciprocity Law Author(s): Sey Y. Kim Source: The American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 111, No. 1 (Jan., 2004), pp. 48-50 Published by: Mathematical Association of America Stable URL: /stable/4145015 . Accessed: 26/10/2011 06:58 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at . /page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@. Mathematical Association of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The American Mathematical Monthly. NOTES Edited by William Adkins An Elementary Proof of the Quadratic Reciprocity Law Sey Y. Kim 1. INTRODUCTION. Let be an odd number.For a not divisible p prime any integer by p, the Legendre symbol ( ) is defined as: if the congruence X2 a(mod p) has a solution, P 1-I 1 otherwise. =- (ap (In the first case, we say that a is a quadratic residue modulo p.) Eulers criterion as- serts that ( ) = a 2 (mod p)-hence that (1) = (-1) 2. The celebrated quadratic reciprocity law states: Theorem. If p and q are distinct odd prime numbers, then q)/ \p) The first proof of this result was discovered by C. F. Gauss (1777-1855) in 1796 by