Rings and fields

The ring Zm - part 2 - suggested problems - solutions

P1: Construct Cayley tables for addition and multiplication in Z6 .
+
0
1
2
3
4
5

0
0
1
2
3
4
5

1
1
2
3
4
5
0

2
2
3
4
5
0
1

3
3
4
5
0
1
2

4
4
5
0
1
2
3

0
1
2
3
4
5

5
5
0
1
2
3
4

0
0
0
0
0
0
0

1
0
1
2
3
4
5

2
0
2
4
0
2
4

3
0
3
0
3
0
3

4
0
4
2
0
4
2

5
0
5
4
3
2
1

P2: Construct Cayley tables for addition and multiplication in Z7 .

+
0
1
2
3
4
5
6

0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6

1
1
2
3
4
5
6
0

2
2
3
4
5
6
0
1

3
3
4
5
6
0
1
2

4
4
5
6
0
1
2
3

5
5
6
0
1
2
3
4

6
6
0
1
2
3
4
5

0
1
2
3
4
5
6

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6

2
0
2
4
6
1
3
5

3
0
3
6
2
5
1
4

4
0
4
1
5
2
6
3

5
0
5
3
1
6
4
2

6
0
6
5
4
3
2
1

At this point, you should be accumulating a stash of Cayley tables for various ms : Z5 and Z8
in the lecture, Z6 and Z7 here, Z3 and Z4 will appear in the 2.4 exercises, and so on. You should
probably collect them together somewhere as a reference. The idea is that if you need to perform
algebra in an m that you dont have tables for yet, you should knock them out quickly before
proceeding - I believe Z12 and Z13 are going to show up in the 2.4 exercises, and who knows what
will show up in the graded assignment. Nothing above m = 13, though, I promise.

P3: Perform the arithmetic in the indicated Zm . Note that you can generally perform arithmetic
with or without a table in front of you - with the table, youre just looking it up, but without one
you can just do the arithmetic and mod it down as in the last section.
(a) 4 + 5 in Z7
4+5=2
Note this is identical to [4]7 + [5]7 = [9]7 = [2]7 in the last section; weve just streamlined
the notation to not show the middle step.
(b) 2 5 in Z6

25=4

i.e. [2]6 [5]6 = [10]6 = [4]6 .

(c) 3 4 + 1 in Z7 .

34+1=5+1=6

i.e. [3]7 [4]7 = [12]7 = [5]7 , and [5]7 + [1]7 = [6]7 .

(d) 17 + 14 in Z22 (do not make a table!)
17 + 14 = 9
i.e. [17]22 + [14]22 = [31]22 = [9]22 .
P4: Solve the given equations in the indicated Zm . Perform algebra using additive inverses (always possible), and multiplicative inverses (whenever possible). Obtain inverses quickly by looking
at the tables. If it is not possible to use a multiplicative inverse, switch to congruence notation
and apply the results for solving linear congruences. If no solution exists, be sure to indicate this
and state why.

(a) 3x + 4 = 5 in Z7
3x + 4
3x + 4 + 3
3x + 0
3x
5 3x
1x
x

=
=
=
=
=
=
=

5
5+3
1
1
51
5
5

[additive inverse of 4 is 3]

[multiplicative inverse of 3 is 5]

(b) 5x = 3 in Z6
5x
5 5x
1x
x

=
=
=
=

3
53
3
3

(c) 4x = 3 in Z6
Since gcd(4, 6) = 2, 4 has no inverse in Z6 . Also, since 2 does not divide 3, the equation
4x = 3 has no solution in Z6 . Inspection of the Z6 table tells you the same thing - you cant
multiply 4 with anything and get 3.
(d) 4x = 4 in Z6
Since gcd(4, 6) = 2, 4 has no inverse in
congruence notation:
4x
2 2x
2x
x

Z6 . But, since 2|4, there is a solution. Switch to

4 (mod 6)
2 2 (mod 6)
2 (mod 3)
1 (mod 3)

[1]3 = [1]6 [4]6 , so solutions are x = 1 and x = 4 in Z6 . Verify this by looking at the table:
4 4 = 1, and also 4 4 = 4.
More of these appear in the 2.4 textbook exercises, part one.