Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around finding the order of a number in Mathematica, specifically in the context of number theory. Participants explore the appropriate function to use and clarify the terminology related to the concept of order in modular arithmetic.
Discussion Character
- Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant inquires about how to find the order of a number in Mathematica, initially expressing confusion over search results related to ordering numbers.
- Another participant asserts that the function MultiplicativeOrder[a,n] is indeed the correct approach, but emphasizes that it finds the order of a number modulo n, not the order of a number in a general sense.
- A concern is raised regarding the use of the function, noting that if gcd(a,n) is not equal to 1, it may lead to issues.
- A subsequent reply questions the assertion that the function would crash, suggesting that it should check for coprimality first.
- One participant clarifies their earlier statement, acknowledging the confusion and confirming that they meant the order of a number modulo n, specifying that 'a' is the number and 'n' is the modulus.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the implications of using the MultiplicativeOrder function, particularly regarding its behavior when the inputs are not coprime. There is no consensus on whether the function will crash or simply return no output.
Contextual Notes
There are unresolved assumptions about the behavior of the MultiplicativeOrder function in cases where gcd(a,n) is not equal to 1, and the discussion does not clarify the exact nature of the output in such scenarios.
