The Structure and Degrees of Polynomials Computing Square Roots $\mod p$

Foivos Chnaras; Noah Kupinsky

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arXiv · 2511.22881

The Structure and Degrees of Polynomials Computing Square Roots $\mod p$

Foivos Chnaras·Noah Kupinsky

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Abstract

For an odd prime $p$, we say a polynomial $f\in \mathbb F_p[X]$ computes square roots if $f(a)^2=a$ for all nonzero, perfect squares $a\in \mathbb F_p$. When $p\equiv 3 \mod 4$, it is easy to see that $f(X)=X^{\frac{p+1}{4}}$ is the smallest such polynomial. For $p\equiv 1 \mod 4$, the situation is less clear. Tonelli-Shanks offers an algorithm for constructing polynomials that compute square roots, but the question of whether their degree is minimal remains. In this paper, we study the various degrees and structures of polynomials computing square roots.

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BibTeX RIS

Foivos Chnaras, Noah Kupinsky. 2025-11-28. The Structure and Degrees of Polynomials Computing Square Roots $\mod p$. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.22881

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