Order free integers mod \(m\) (Q690389)

Let \(m\geq 1\) be a modulus. An integer \(t\) is said to have \(k\)th weak order if the congruence \(t^{n+k}\equiv t^ k\pmod m\) has a solution \(n\). The minimal positive solution (if it exists) \(n\) is the \(k\)th weak order of \(t\) modulo \(m\). The case \(k=0\) corresponds to the familiar notion of order mod \(m\). Here the author attempts to extend earlier results for the case \(k=1\). However, the Main Theorem in this paper, namely \[ \sum_{m\leq x} g_ k(m)= c_ k x^{k+1}+ O(x^ k\log^ 3 x) \] is \textit{wrong}. Here \(c_ k\) is a positive constant depending on \(k\) and \(g_ k(m)\) is the number of incongruent integers mod \(m\) which possess \(k\)th weak order. Obviously \(0\leq g_ k(m)\leq m\) and so \(\sum_{m\leq x} g_ k(m)= O(x^ 2)\) making the Main Theorem false for \(k>1\). Prior to proving the Main Theorem, the author establishes another result (Theorem 1) which holds only for \(k\geq 1\) and not for \(k=0\).