[Math] Show that $x^{2} \equiv 1 \pmod{15}$ has four incongruent solutions mod 15.

number theory

Show that $x^{2} \equiv 1 \pmod{15}$ has four incongruent solutions mod 15.

My instinct was to find the primitive root and then use a theorem to directly show the number of incongruent solutions, which follows from knowing the primitive root. But, apparently there are no primitive solutions to $mod 15.$ So what's another option?

Best Answer

$$\begin{array}{rcl} x^2 &\equiv& 1 \pmod{15} \\ (x-1)(x+1) &\equiv& 0 \pmod{15} \end{array}$$

So, $x=1$, $x=-1$, $x=4$, or $x=-4$.