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Number theory Difficulty 7.7 National olympiad, round 2 Prove it Saudi Arabia

Let pp be a prime number and let mm, nn be integers greater than 11 such that nmp(n1)1n \mid m^{p(n-1)} - 1. Prove that gcd(mp(n1)1,n)>1\gcd(m^{p(n-1)} - 1, n) > 1.

Solution

Set α=vp(n1)\alpha = v_p(n-1) and write n1=rpαn-1 = r \cdot p^{\alpha}. Let qq be an arbitrary prime divisor of nn, and set d=ordq(m)d = \text{ord}_q(m). Since
mp(n1)=mrpα+11(modq), m^{p(n-1)} = m^{r \cdot p^{\alpha+1}} \equiv 1 \pmod{q},
it follows that drpα+1d \mid r \cdot p^{\alpha+1}. If vp(d)α+1v_p(d) \neq \alpha + 1, then clearly dn1d \mid n-1, and therefore qq is a common divisor of nn and mn11m^{n-1} - 1. Otherwise, suppose that vp(d)=α+1v_p(d) = \alpha + 1 for all prime divisors of nn. Together with mq11(modq)m^{q-1} \equiv 1 \pmod{q} by Fermat's Little Theorem, we have
dq1    vp(q1)vp(d)=α+1. d \mid q-1 \implies v_p(q-1) \ge v_p(d) = \alpha + 1.
Thus, any prime divisor qq of nn satisfies q1(modpα+1)q \equiv 1 \pmod{p^{\alpha+1}}. Because nn is a product of these prime divisors, we deduce that n1(modpα+1)n \equiv 1 \pmod{p^{\alpha+1}}. However, this contradicts to vp(n1)=αv_p(n-1) = \alpha. \square

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