# Generalization of Fermat's Little Theorem

I investigated about the generalizations of Fermat's little theorem and found several ones in the book of Dickson, History of the Theory of Numbers, Vol. 1, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication No. 256, 1919. Here the congruence $\sum_{d|n}\mu(d)a^{n/d} \equiv 0\pmod n$ is a result from a posthumous paper of Gauss (1863) in a notation given by Gegenbauer (1900). The question is: Why and where is the reference that gives as author the name Ramachandra?

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I can’t say I understand the question. If it is a result from a paper by Gauss, why should it be attributed to Ramachandra? – Emil Jeřábek Jan 30 '12 at 18:21
– Tom Leinster Jan 30 '12 at 18:54
Yes, the question is: If it is a result from a paper by Gauss, why should it be attributed to Ramachandra, and what is the reference? The name Ramachandra is in the previous question mathoverflow.net/questions/85635. – Cristina Serpa Jan 30 '12 at 19:09
Ah, so you were referring to that MO question. Have you tried mailing the person who asked it, since it was he who attributed it to Ramachandra? – Tom Leinster Jan 30 '12 at 19:12
Cristina, you can often find out someone's email address by clicking on their username and following the links. This is probably what Emil just did. Incidentally, if you look at the previous questioner's web page, you'll see photos of K. Ramachandra. – Tom Leinster Jan 30 '12 at 19:52