Universal formulae of Euler-Fermat type for subsets of \(\mathbb Z_m\) (Q1911757): Difference between revisions

Let \(\mathbb Z_m\) be the ring of integers \(\pmod m\) and \(P\) a subset of \(\mathbb Z_m\). In the sequence of powers \(\{P, P^2, P^3, \dots\}\) there is a least power \(k= k(m, P)\) such that, beginning with \(P^k\), the sequence becomes periodic with a period \(d= d(m, P)\), i.e. \(P^k= P^{k+d}\). We say that an identity \((*)\) \(P^{k^*}= P^{k^*+ d^*}\) is universal if \((*)\) holds for any subset \(P\) of \(\mathbb Z_m\) (i.e. \(k^*\), \(d^*\) depend only on \(m\)). The goal of the paper is to find the least values of \(k^*\) and \(d^*\).