Séminaire Lotharingien de Combinatoire, B22g (1989), 20 pp.
[Formerly: Publ. I.R.M.A. Strasbourg, 1990, 414/S-22, p. 51-70.]

Dominique Dumont

Résidus quadratiques et nombres de classes

Abstract. Let p be a prime number congruent to 3 modulo 4. A classical formula of Dirichlet relates the surplus of the residues over the non-residues in the interval [1,(p-1)/2] to the class number h(-p). It is still an open problem how to give a direct and non-analytic proof of this result. We give here a detailed and elementary presentation of the subject, as well as an analytic proof where the theory of divergent series enters naturally.

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