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Small Modular Solutions to Fermat's Last Theorem
Journal article   Open access

Small Modular Solutions to Fermat's Last Theorem

Advances in pure mathematics, Vol.14(10), pp.797-805
2024

Abstract

The proof by Andrew Wiles of Fermat’s Last Theorem in 1995 resolved the existence question for non-trivial solutions in integers x,y,z to the equation xn+yn=zn for n>2 . There are none. Surprisingly, there are infinitely many solutions if the problem is recast in terms of modular arithmetic. Over a hundred years ago Issai Schur was able to show that for any n there is always a sufficiently large prime p0 such that for all primes p≥p0 the congruence xn+yn≡zn(modp) has a non-trivial solution. Schur’s argument wasnon-constructive, and there is no systematic method available at present to construct specific examples for small primes. We offer a simple method for constructing all possible solutions to a large class of congruences of this type.
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