Bell numbers modulo a prime number, traces and trinomials (Q490263)

Summary: Given a prime number \(p\), we deduce from a formula of Barsky and Benzaghou and from a result of Coulter and Henderson on trinomials over finite fields, a simple necessary and sufficient condition \(\beta(n) =k\beta(0)\) in \(\mathbb{F}_{p^{p}}\)~in order to resolve the congruence \(B(n) \equiv k \,\mathrm{mod}\,p\), where \(B(n)\) is the \(n\)-th Bell number, and \(k\)~is any fixed integer. Several applications of the formula and of the condition~are included, in particular we give equivalent forms of~the conjecture of Kurepa that~\(B(p-1)\) is \(\neq 1\) modulo \(p\).