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Loren Booda
Jun2-09, 08:58 PM
Can it be proven that the number of prime pairs with a difference of two (that is, primes separated by only one even number) approaches infinity?

CRGreathouse
Jun3-09, 12:05 AM
This is the of-yet-unproved Twin Prime Conjecture.

Dragonfall
Jun3-09, 05:07 PM
primes separated by only one even number

Do you mean that infinitely many primes separated by the same even number? Or do you mean infinitely many primes separated by a multiple of the same even number? The latter is true.

CRGreathouse
Jun3-09, 07:35 PM
Do you mean that infinitely many primes separated by the same even number? Or do you mean infinitely many primes separated by a multiple of the same even number? The latter is true.

I know Elliott-Halberstam implies that (via Goldston-Pintz-Yıldırım), but is it known unconditionally? As far as I know, g_n>\sqrt{\log p_n} for all n sufficiently large has not been disproven.

Oh wait, I just reread what you wrote. The latter is trivially true, since all prime gaps but the first are divisible by 2.

Loren Booda
Jun4-09, 11:43 AM
Do you mean that infinitely many primes separated by the same even number? Or do you mean infinitely many primes separated by a multiple of the same even number? The latter is true.

The number of pairs of primes with a difference of two.

Dragonfall
Jun4-09, 03:52 PM
That would be the said "Twin Primes Conjecture".

HallsofIvy
Jun4-09, 05:53 PM
But you wouldn't say "approaches" infinity in either case. Either the number of twin primes is infinite or it is a specific integer.