Fix point of squaring numbers mod p

Take the set of integers $\{0, 1, .., p-1\}$, square each element, you get the (smaller) set of quadratic residues. Repeat until you get a fix point set. The size of this set is a function of $p$. Does this function have a name? How can I efficiently calculate it?

Some values: $$f(3) = 2, \\ f(5) = 2,\\ f(7) = 4,\\ f(11) = 6,\\ f(13) = 4, \\ f(17) = 2,\\ f(19) = 10,\\ f(23) = 12,\\ f(29) = 8$$

Let us factor $p-1=2^am$, where $m$ is odd. The size of your terminal set is $m$. You are working with a cyclic group of order $p-1$. As $m$ is odd, the Chinese Remainder Theorem tells you that there is an isomorphism $$\mathbb{Z}_p^*\cong C_m\times C_{2^a}.$$ Repeated squaring kills the $C_{2^a}$ after $a$ iterations, and squaring is bijective on $C_m$.
If you include $0$ (I didn't), then add one.
• There seems to be a difference of $1$, cf. OP's examples. Maybe from $x=0$? – Hagen von Eitzen Jul 15 '13 at 15:32
• @aelguindy: Sorry about not reading carefully enough, so I missed zero initially. Basically you just take $p-1$ and keep dividing it with two as many times as it takes to make the quotient odd. No need to fully factorize. – Jyrki Lahtonen Jul 15 '13 at 15:35
• No worries! All that I figured out myself. I just needed to see $\mathbb{Z}_p^* \cong C_m \times C_{2^a}$ ;). Thanks again! – aelguindy Jul 15 '13 at 15:37