Mathematics 5 Analytic Number Theory 2020/21

Assignment 2

Please hand in by 12 noon on Friday, 26 February.

Characters on a finite abelian group G

In lecture, we defined a character e on a finite abelian group G as any

map e : G → C \ {0} which satisfies e(gh) = e(g)e(h) for all g, h ∈ G.
The collection of all characters on G (which we denote by G) b has the
structure of an abelian group with the following group law: if e, f ∈ G,
b
then ef(g) = e(g)f(g) defines a character on G. In lecture we mentioned
the fact that the groups G and G b ' G) but
b are isomorphic (that is, G
we did not prove this. In this assignment you are asked prove this in
a particular case.

For a positive integer q ≥ 2, let Gq denote the group of invertible

elements in the ring Z/qZ. We say an element i ∈ Gq is a primi-
tive element modulo q if Gq = {i, i2 , i3 , . . . , iφ(q) = 1} where φ is the
Euler totient function. When q is prime, the existence of primitive
roots modulo q was established in your Introduction to Number The-
ory course.

b ≤ #G.
1. Let G be a finite abelian group. Show that #G

2. Find a primitive root modulo 9 and a primitive root modulo 11. Hence show
that G9 and G11 are cyclic groups of order 6 and 10, respectively.

3. Show that G8 is not a cyclic group.

4. For some integer q ≥ 2, suppose i ∈ Gq is a primitive root modulo q.

a. Find all the characters e ∈ G

cq . Make sure you prove that the characters you
find are distinct and there are no other characters.

cq ' Gq .
b. Show that G

1
2

For q ≥ 2, let Gq be the group of invertible elements in the ring Z/qZ.

Each e ∈ G
cq gives rise to a function χ on Z defined by
(
e([n]), if gcd(n, q) = 1;
χ(n) =
0, if gcd(n, q) > 1.
Here [n] = {n + mq : m ∈ Z} is the residue class of n. The arithmetic
function χ is what we call a Dirichlet character mod q.

5. Let q be an odd prime number (so q ≥ 3). Show that there are precisely two
real Dirichlet characters mod q.

6. Let χ be the nonprincipal real Dirichlet character mod 11. Find χ(10).

7. Let χ be a nonprincipal character mod q. Show that for J ≥ 2,

∞
X χ(n)  3q
√  ≤ √ .

n

n=J
J