Etymology

quadratic reciprocity

Today it means: The mathematical theorem which states that, for given odd prime numbers p and q, the question of whether p is a square modulo q is equivalent to the question of whether q is a square modulo p. Full definition →

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The story

The theorem highlights a particular form of reciprocity in the solvability of the quadratic equation a² = b in modular arithmetic. It was conjectured by Leonhard Euler and Adrien-Marie Legendre and first proved by Carl Friedrich Gauss.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.