Monday, 5 January 2026

Exercise (4.2).14

Let $p$ be an odd prime. Prove that

$$ 2 (p− 3)! \equiv −1  \pmod p $$


We start with Wilson's Theorem

$$ (p-1)! \equiv -1 \pmod p $$

 That is

$$ (p-1) \times (p-2) \times (p-3)! \equiv -1 \pmod p $$

We note that $(p-1) \equiv -1 \pmod p$.

We also note that $(p-2) \equiv -2 \pmod p$, valid since an odd prime is larger than 2. 

$$ (-1) \times (-2) \times (p-3)! \equiv -1 \pmod p $$

Simplifying gives us the desired result

$$ 2 (p− 3)! \equiv −1  \pmod p $$