The purpose of this paper is to present a proof of the following theorem of Maclagan-Wedderburn.*

Every finite skew-field† is a field.

The proof depends on group theory and on the properties of Galois fields. As an introduction, §§1–4 are devoted to a systematic and self-contained account of the theory of Galois fields.

The theory of quadratic congruences modulo an integer is dominated by the Quadratic Law of Reciprocity (see § 1), which makes it possible to decide in a very short time whether a quadratic congruence

is solvable or not. The law was first proved by Gauss.* It took him over a year to obtain his first proof, which depends on a tedious lemma in elementary number theory. He subsequently obtained seven further proofs, and today more than fifty proofs are known, most of them based on the ideas of Gauss. The object of the present paper is to present a proof which is a modernised version of Gauss's seventh proof, applying the ideas of that proof to a finite set of objects, the elements of a finite or Galois field.

§ 1. Introductory. In § 3 a generalisation of the formula [MacRobert, Phil. Mag., Ser. 7, XXXI, p. 258]

where αp+1 = ½m + ½n, αp+2 = ½m - ½n, R(m ± n) > 0, and x is real and positive, will be established. In the course of the proof Hardy's formula [Mess, of Maths., LVI, (1927), p. 190],

where R(b)>0, will be required. This was originally proved by an application of Mellin's Inversion Formula. An alternative proof is given in § 2, and some related formulae are deduced.

The theory of operational solutions of differential equations in applied mathematics suggests a method of developing the theory of Fourier and allied series that is simpler for ordinary applications than the classical development. It may be useful to those whose interests lie in such applications rather than in the deeper analytical processes associated with this subject.

1. Introduction. Given a series we define , by the relations

The series Σan is said to be summable (C, k) to the sum s, if

as n→∞, and strongly summable (C, k), k>0, with index p, to the sum s, or summable [C; k, p] to the sum s, if