Date: 12 Jan 1995 11:03:51 -0500 From: , Beverly Yang Subject:
math question I studied number theory over the summer and we
learned about quadratic residues (a squared modulo p, a prime).
The concept is fairly basic, but I really don't understand the
value of the concept. Are quadratic residues used only to prove
other algorithms, or is there actually a useful application in
solving, for example, numerical problems? Simple lemms give us
some basic mathematical rules (i.e., 0 times a = 0, or a<b, a-b,
or a>b is always true), but quadratic residues don't tell us
much! If you have time, PLEASE answer VERY soon because this is
a part of my final exam in Internet class, and I need an A to
get an A!! Thank you so much! Date: 12 Jan 1995 13:33:40 -0500
From: Dr. Ken Subject: Re: math question Hello there! Well, I
guess the verdict on the usefulness of quadratic residues kind
of depends on how useful you think number theory in general is.
Until recently, it was kind of looked upon as the most non-
useful branch of mat