# Different Representations of GF(8)

Can anyone point me in the right direction with the following problem?

Given that $$GF(8)=\frac{Z_{2}}{x^3+x^2+1}= \frac{Z_{2}}{x^3+x+1}$$

Find $\beta$ as a function of $\alpha$ , where $\alpha$ is a root of $x^3+x+1$ and $\beta$ is a root of $x^3+x^2+1$

As one polynomial is just the reverse of the other, the roots of one are the inverses of the roots of the other. Hence we may take $\beta=\alpha^{-1}$

Here is the complete story:

One can find the three possibilities this way.

Neither $0$ nor $1$ is a root of either $X^3+X^2+1$ or $X^3+X+1$; and it is trivial to see that these polynomials are coprime and so have no common root.

The order of the multiplicative group of $\mathbb{F}_8$ is seven and so is cyclic of that order.

If $\alpha$ is a root of $X^3+X^2+1$ so is $\alpha^2$ since $\alpha^6+\alpha^4+1=(\alpha^3+\alpha^2+1)^2=0$. Hence the roots of this polynomial are $\alpha, \alpha^2, \alpha^4(=(\alpha^{2})^2)$ and these are distinct as the multiplicative order of $\alpha$ is $7$.

In the same way the roots of $X^3+X+1$ are $\beta,\beta^2,\beta^4$. That accounts for all the elements of $\mathbb{F}_8$.

Therefore $\beta,\beta^2,\beta^4$ must be the "missing" powers of $\alpha$, namely $\alpha^3,\alpha^5,\alpha^6$: or more elegantly $\alpha^{-1}, \alpha^{-2}, \alpha^{-4}$.

So $\beta$ is one of $\alpha^{-1}, \alpha^{-2}, \alpha^{-4}$.

Let $\alpha$ be a root of $x^3+x+1$. Then a general element of $GF(8)$ has the form $a+b\alpha + c\alpha^2$ for some $a,b,c \in GF(2)$. Need to solve for for $a,b,c$ in $(a+b\alpha + c\alpha^2)^3+(a+b\alpha + c\alpha^2)^2+1 = 0$ Recall that $u^2=u$ for any $u \in GF(2)$ and $2u=0$ for any $u \in GF(8)$. After simplifying you'll find $$(1+b+c+bc) + (b+c+ab+ac)\alpha + (b+ab)\alpha^2 = 0$$ from which you can determine that $\beta$ can be taken to be $1+\alpha, 1+\alpha^2,$ or $1+\alpha+\alpha^2$

• Wouldn't it just be $x(x-1)$ ? I am not entirely comfortable with modular polynomial arithmetic. – Chezky Steiner May 22 '17 at 2:25
• $(\alpha -1)^3 +(\alpha -1)^2 + 1 = (\alpha^3 + \alpha^2 + \alpha + 1) +(\alpha^2 + 1) + 1 = \alpha^3 + \alpha + 1 = 0$ will work. – sharding4 May 22 '17 at 2:28
• So $\beta = \alpha -1$. That does answer my original question, but I would like to understand the process by which you found that. Sorry if it seems obvious, I don't have such a strong handle on the related concepts. – Chezky Steiner May 22 '17 at 2:32
• Sorry. My previous answer was based on an invalid method. There may be some slicker approach, but all I could find was to just grunge through the computations in $GF(8)$. – sharding4 May 22 '17 at 15:29