Patterns of quadratic residues and nonresidues for infinitely many primes Original Research Article

If S is a nonempty, finite subset of the positive integers, we address the question of when the elements of S consist of various mixtures of quadratic residues and nonresidues for infinitely many primes. We are concerned in particular with the problem of characterizing those subsets of integers that consist entirely of either (1) quadratic residues or (2) quadratic nonresidues for such a set of primes. We solve problem (1) and we show that problem (2) is equivalent to a purely combinatorial problem concerning families of subsets of a finite set. For sets S of (essentially) small cardinality, we solve problem (2). Related results and some associated enumerative combinatorics are also discussed.