- #1
Entropia
- 1,474
- 2
http://www.nature.com/nsu/030317/030317-13.html
Originally posted by Hurkyl
There even exists a formula for the n-th prime number! (I've only heard this referenced though, I have never actually seen it)
Hurkyl
Why don't they just plug 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,001 in for the n and get a massive prime number?
Urban Legend?There even exists a formula for the n-th prime number! (I've only heard this referenced though, I have never actually seen it)
Prime numbers are positive integers that are divisible only by 1 and themselves. They cannot be formed by multiplying two smaller positive integers together.
Prime numbers have exactly two factors, while composite numbers have more than two factors. For example, 7 is prime because its only factors are 1 and 7, while 8 is composite because its factors are 1, 2, 4, and 8.
Prime numbers follow a specific pattern and are not randomly distributed. They become less frequent as the numbers get larger, but there is no definite formula or algorithm for predicting the next prime number.
Prime numbers are used in cryptography to generate large, random numbers for encryption. This is because it is difficult to factor a large number into its prime factors, making it harder to decrypt the message without the correct key.
Yes, prime numbers have many real-world applications. They are used in computer science, such as in generating secure keys for communication, and in finding the shortest route between multiple points. They are also used in music theory and in some types of data compression algorithms.