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11 - Euler's Theorem

Euler's Theorem generalizes Fermat’s Little Theorem and establishes a relationship between coprime integers a and n, stating that a raised to Euler's totient function ϕ(n) is congruent to 1 modulo n. The theorem is essential in number theory and cryptography, particularly in the RSA algorithm, where it aids in key generation and modular exponentiation. The proof relies on the properties of modular arithmetic and the multiplicative group of integers modulo n.

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14 views2 pages

11 - Euler's Theorem

Euler's Theorem generalizes Fermat’s Little Theorem and establishes a relationship between coprime integers a and n, stating that a raised to Euler's totient function ϕ(n) is congruent to 1 modulo n. The theorem is essential in number theory and cryptography, particularly in the RSA algorithm, where it aids in key generation and modular exponentiation. The proof relies on the properties of modular arithmetic and the multiplicative group of integers modulo n.

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ciporar793
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Euler's Theorem is a generalization of Fermat’s Little Theorem, and it plays a significant role in

number theory, particularly in cryptography (like the RSA algorithm). Euler’s Theorem provides a
relationship between an integer a and a modulus n, where a and n are coprime.

Euler's Theorem Statement:


If a and n are two integers such that gcd(a, n) = 1 (i.e., a and n are relatively prime), then:

aϕ(n) ≡ 1 mod n

Where ϕ(n) is Euler’s totient function, which counts the number of integers less than or equal to n
that are coprime with n.

Key Points:
The theorem holds only when gcd(a, n) = 1.
ϕ(n) is the totient function of n, which gives the number of integers between 1 and n that are
coprime with n.

Special Case: Fermat’s Little Theorem


Euler’s Theorem generalizes Fermat’s Little Theorem, which is a special case when n is prime.
Fermat's Little Theorem states that if p is a prime and gcd(a, p) = 1, then:

ap−1 ≡ 1 mod p

In this case, since ϕ(p) = p − 1 for prime p, Fermat’s Little Theorem is a direct consequence of
Euler's Theorem.

Example of Euler’s Theorem:


Let’s compute 3ϕ(10) mod 10.
1. First, check if gcd(3, 10) = 1, which it is since 3 and 10 are relatively prime.
2. Calculate ϕ(10). Since 10 = 2 × 5 (both prime), use the formula for the totient function:
1 1 1 4
ϕ(10) = 10 (1 − ) (1 − ) = 10 × × = 4
2 5 2 5
​ ​ ​ ​

3. Now, apply Euler’s Theorem:


3ϕ(10) = 34 = 81
4. Calculate 81 mod 10:

81 ÷ 10 = 8 remainder 1

So, 34 ≡ 1 mod 10, which confirms Euler’s Theorem.

Proof of Euler's Theorem (Outline):


The proof of Euler’s Theorem is based on the properties of modular arithmetic and
the multiplicative group of integers modulo n. Here's a high-level idea of the proof:
1. Consider the set of integers {1, 2, 3, … , n − 1} that are relatively prime to n. The number of
such integers is ϕ(n).
2. This set forms a multiplicative group under modulo n, meaning that multiplying elements
from this set modulo n results in another element from the set.
3. Since multiplication modulo n is a closed operation within this group, raising an integer a
(which is coprime to n) to the power ϕ(n) cycles back to 1, i.e., aϕ(n) ≡ 1 mod n.

Applications of Euler’s Theorem:


1. RSA Cryptography: Euler’s Theorem is crucial in the RSA encryption system. The security of
RSA relies on the difficulty of factoring large numbers and uses the fact that for two large
primes p and q , we compute n = p × q and use ϕ(n) = (p − 1)(q − 1) in key generation and
encryption/decryption.
2. Modular Exponentiation: Euler’s Theorem helps in reducing powers in modular arithmetic. For
example, if you need to compute large powers like ak mod n, Euler’s Theorem can simplify
this by reducing the exponent modulo ϕ(n).

Example in RSA Cryptosystem:


Let’s say we have two primes p = 5 and q = 11. Calculate n = p × q = 55 and ϕ(n) = (p − 1)(q −
1) = 4 × 10 = 40.

Using Euler’s Theorem, we know that if gcd(a, 55) = 1, then a40 ≡ 1 mod 55.

Now, this property is used in RSA to encode and decode messages, as it guarantees that
exponentiation by powers related to ϕ(n) brings us back to the original number modulo n.

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