[guided]We have established three forward implications:
\begin{align*}
d \equiv 1 \pmod 8 \implies 2 \text{ splits}, \quad d \equiv 5 \pmod 8 \implies 2 \text{ is inert}, \quad d \equiv 2, 3 \pmod 4 \implies 2 \text{ ramifies}.
\end{align*}
The theorem asserts the converse implications as well. We package both directions into biconditionals via a trichotomy argument.
**Trichotomy on the left-hand side.** Every square-free integer $d \neq 0, 1$ falls into exactly one of the three congruence classes:
- $d \equiv 1 \pmod 8$,
- $d \equiv 5 \pmod 8$,
- $d \equiv 2 \pmod 4$ or $d \equiv 3 \pmod 4$.
Together with $d \equiv 0 \pmod 4$ (which would force $4 \mid d$, contradicting square-freeness), these classes partition $\mathbb{Z} \setminus \{0, 1\}$. Indeed, modulo $8$ we have eight residues, and the odd ones are $1, 3, 5, 7$; the residues $1, 5 \pmod 8$ are exactly those with $d \equiv 1 \pmod 4$, while $3, 7 \pmod 8$ satisfy $d \equiv 3 \pmod 4$, which is included in the third class. The even residues modulo $8$ are $0, 2, 4, 6$; of these $0$ and $4$ are impossible (they give $4 \mid d$), and $2, 6$ are $d \equiv 2 \pmod 4$, also included in the third class.
**Trichotomy on the right-hand side.** For a rational prime $p$ in a quadratic extension $L/\mathbb{Q}$ of degree $n = 2$, the fundamental identity from [Prime Ideals Lie Above Rational Primes](/theorems/1597) gives
\begin{align*}
\sum_{\mathfrak{p} \mid \langle p \rangle} e_{\mathfrak{p}} f_{\mathfrak{p}} = n = 2,
\end{align*}
where $e_{\mathfrak{p}}$ is the ramification index and $f_{\mathfrak{p}}$ is the residue degree. The only way to write $2$ as a sum of positive integers $e_i f_i$ is:
- two terms with $e_i = f_i = 1$ (two distinct primes, residue degree $1$ each) — **split**;
- one term with $e = 1$, $f = 2$ (single prime, residue degree $2$) — **inert**;
- one term with $e = 2$, $f = 1$ (single prime squared, residue degree $1$) — **ramified**.
These three outcomes are mutually exclusive.
**Converting forward implications to biconditionals.** We have three mutually exclusive classes on the left, three mutually exclusive outcomes on the right, and forward implications between matching pairs. Standard logic (or a cleanup: if $P_1, P_2, P_3$ partition and $Q_1, Q_2, Q_3$ partition, and $P_i \implies Q_i$, then each $Q_i \implies P_i$ by contradiction — if $P_j$ held with $j \neq i$, then $Q_j$ would hold, contradicting the exclusivity of $Q_i$ and $Q_j$) shows each forward implication is a biconditional:
\begin{align*}
2 \text{ splits} &\iff d \equiv 1 \pmod 8, \\
2 \text{ is inert} &\iff d \equiv 5 \pmod 8, \\
2 \text{ ramifies} &\iff d \equiv 2 \text{ or } 3 \pmod 4.
\end{align*}
This is the theorem statement.[/guided]