Proc. Japan Acad. Ser. A Math. Sci. 80 (2), 9-11, (Feb. 2004) DOI: 10.3792/pjaa.80.9
KEYWORDS: quadratic fields, Class number, residue characters, 11R29, 11R11
Let $p$ and $q$ be distinct primes such that $p \equiv q \pmod{4}$ and consider the quadratic field $K = \mathbf{Q}(\sqrt{pq})$. In this paper, we shall investigate the class group and determine the exact power of 2 dividing the class number of $K$ using the theory of ideals and a theorem on the solvability of $ax^2 + by^2 = z^2$.