PlanetMath (more info)
 Math for the people, by the people. Sponsor PlanetMath
Encyclopedia | Requests | Forums | Docs | Wiki | Random | RSS  
Login
create new user
name:
pass:
forget your password?
Main Menu
Owner confidence rating: Very high Entry average rating: No information on entry rating
Wilson's theorem (Theorem)

Wilson's theorem states that $$ (p-1)! \equiv -1 \pmod{p} $$ iff $p$ is prime (note that it must be positive).




"Wilson's theorem" is owned by CWoo. [ full author list (2) | owner history (1) ]
(view preamble | get metadata)

View style:

See Also: an algebraic identity leading to Wilson's theorem, formal congruence

Other names:  Wilson-Lagrange theorem

Attachments:
proof of Wilson's theorem (Proof) by Cosmin
group theoretic proof of Wilson's theorem (Proof) by ottocolori
Wilson's theorem result (Result) by mathwizard
Wilson prime (Definition) by PrimeFan
Wilson quotient (Definition) by PrimeFan
Clement's theorem on twin primes (Theorem) by PrimeFan
converse of Wilson's theorem (Theorem) by PrimeFan
Log in to rate this entry.
(view current ratings)

Cross-references: positive, prime, iff
There are 6 references to this entry.

This is version 8 of Wilson's theorem, born on 2001-08-13, modified 2008-05-17.
Object id is 11, canonical name is WilsonsTheorem.
Accessed 9798 times total.

Classification:
AMS MSC11-00 (Number theory :: General reference works )

Pending Errata and Addenda
None.
[ View all 4 ]
Discussion
Style: Expand: Order:
forum policy
Negative primes by pahio on 2005-10-18 12:41:49
 I perceive that not all people here believe the negative primes (-2, -3, -5 and so on). But in number-theoretical sense, they are as good as the positive primes, since both have exactly same divisibily properties. And ideal-theoretically, p and -p generate the same principal ideal, as always do the associates. In the other algebraic number fields than Q we, in fact, can not say that some of the associated primes is "better" or "more correct" than some else.
 The (rational) prime defined in PM may be negative equally as positive.
 Jussi
[ reply | up ]
even better... by drini on 2001-08-20 21:40:26
$p$ is a prime
IF AND ONLY IF
$(p-1)!\equiv -1\pmod{p}$

now tell me, isn't that great?
 f 
G ---------> H 
 \ ^ G 
p \ /_ ----- ~ f(G)
 \ / f ker f 
 Y / 
 G/ker f 
[ reply | up ]

Interact
post | correct | update request | prove | add result | add corollary | add example | add (any)