Proof that the order of the group of units of Z/nZ is Euler's totient
Builds on Integers modulo nResidue classGroup of units of Z/nZUnits of Z/nZ are the residues coprime to nDivision algorithmOrder of a group
Proof
We count the units of through a bijection.
- Let . Write for the residue class of an integer modulo .
- Let be the set of integers with and . By definition, has elements.
- Each class of is for an integer . By the division algorithm, with integers and .
- Then , so . Thus each class is for some with .
- Let . If , then , so divides .
- But , so does not divide . Hence the classes are pairwise distinct.
- The group is the set of the units of . By the characterisation of units, is a unit if and only if .
- Define by . By step 7, is a unit for each .
- The map is injective by step 6.
- Let be a unit. By step 4, with . By step 7, . So and , and is surjective.
- So is a bijection, and the order of is the number of elements of , which is .
Idea
Each residue class modulo has exactly one representative between and . A class is a unit exactly when its representative is coprime to . So counting units is the same as counting these representatives, and counts them.
Reading path
To understand this page from the ground up, read these 43 pages in order. The foundations come first. The path takes the proofs Proof of Bézout's identity, Proof of the commutativity of addition by induction, Proof of strong induction from ordinary induction, Proof that congruence is compatible with addition, Proof that congruence is compatible with multiplication, Proof of the well-ordering principle from strong induction, Proof of the division algorithm, Proof that the units of Z/nZ are the residues coprime to n.
- Binary operation definition
- Definition by recursion concept
- Divisibility definition
- Group concept
- Group of units of Z/nZ object
- Mathematical induction concept
- Natural numbers object
- Peano axioms concept
- Associativity definition
- Identity element definition
- Congruence modulo n definition
- Greatest common divisor definition
- Order of a group definition
- Ring definition
- Successor function definition
- Semigroup definition
- Inverse element definition
- Proof that congruence is compatible with addition proof
- Proof that congruence is compatible with multiplication proof
- Residue class definition
- Addition of natural numbers definition
- Unit of a ring definition
- The successor function is injective statement
- Zero is not a successor statement
- Monoid definition
- Congruence is compatible with addition statement
- Congruence is compatible with multiplication statement
- Proof of the commutativity of addition by induction proof
- Order on the natural numbers definition
- Group of units of a monoid definition
- Integers modulo n definition
- Commutativity of addition statement
- Proof of strong induction from ordinary induction proof
- Strong induction statement
- Proof of the well-ordering principle from strong induction proof
- Well-ordering principle statement
- Proof of the division algorithm proof
- Division algorithm statement
- Proof of Bézout's identity proof
- Bézout's identity statement
- Proof that the units of Z/nZ are the residues coprime to n proof
- Units of Z/nZ are the residues coprime to n statement
- Proof that the order of the group of units of Z/nZ is Euler's totient proof
Where this leads
8 pages build on this one.
- Existence of primitive roots modulo a prime
- Pépin's test
- Primitive root theorem
- The group of units of Z/pZ is cyclic
- Order of the group of units of Z/nZ is Euler's totient
- Proof of the primitive root theorem
- Proof of Pépin's test
- Proof of the existence of primitive roots modulo a prime by counting elements of each order
Further reading
About this page
| Tag | A9SEXWS278 |
|---|---|
| URI | m2://A9SEXWS278 |
| Kind | proof |
| Writing | W0 stub |
| MSC | 11A07, 11A25 |
| Proves | Order of the group of units of Z/nZ is Euler's totient |
| Uses | Integers modulo n, Residue class, Group of units of Z/nZ, Units of Z/nZ are the residues coprime to n, Division algorithm, Order of a group |
| Changed | 4 November 2026 |
Markdown · JSON · Edit on GitHub
What this page needs for W1
- an inventory row: the row of the inventory that the node accounts for (0 of 1)
The writing levels say how complete the text of a page is. They do not measure its truth.
What links here
No page links to this page yet.