What theorem is this called? For any gap size n, no more than n gaps

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    Gap Theorem
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of gaps between prime numbers, specifically addressing the maximum number of consecutive gaps of a given size that can occur in the sequence of prime gaps. Participants explore the implications of this idea and its relation to existing theories and conjectures in number theory.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that for any gap size n, no more than n gaps of size n can consecutively occur in the sequence of prime gaps.
  • One participant questions whether the discussion refers to gaps of size exactly n, noting that gaps between primes can be arbitrarily large.
  • A participant clarifies their initial statement about prime gaps and provides an example of gaps of size 12 occurring in the sequence of prime gaps.
  • Another participant shares a link to a paper that discusses related concepts but suggests that their claim is not quite the same as the paper's focus on the Twin Primes Conjecture.
  • One participant expresses that their claim about the gaps can be easily proven and may not hold significant importance, using the example of primes 3, 5, and 7 to illustrate their point.
  • Participants reference the GPY result and Zhang's work in relation to the Twin Primes Conjecture, indicating a connection to broader discussions in number theory.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple competing views, particularly regarding the interpretation of gap sizes and the implications of the claims made. There is no consensus on the significance or correctness of the claims presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the definitions of gap sizes and the conditions under which their claims hold. The discussion does not resolve these uncertainties.

goldust
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of size n can consecutively occur in the sequence of primes.
 
Last edited:
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Do you mean size exactly n? You can have gaps between primes that are as large as you want them to be.
 
Oops, I meant "occur in the sequence of prime gaps" not "occur in the sequence of primes", of course :blushing:

e.g. for the gap size 12, no more than 12 gaps of size 12 can consecutively occur in the sequence of prime gaps 1, 2, 2, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 6, 2, 6, 4, 2, 4, 6, 6, 2, 6, 4, 2, 6, 4, 6, 8, 4, 2, 4, 2, 4, 14, ...
 
UltrafastPED said:
Are you looking for something like this: http://arxiv.org/pdf/math/0508185v1.pdf

Upon reading over their intro, I would say it's similar, but not quite. I claim that, for any gap size n, at most n gaps of size n can consecutively occur in the sequence of prime gaps. The provided paper is an attempt at proving the Twin Primes Conjecture. I suppose my claim can be very easily proven and doesn't amount to much significance other than possibly getting school kids excited about learning remainders. :-p For instance, it can be easily seen from remainders after dividing by 3 that the primes 3, 5, 7 produce the only instance of 2 gaps of size 2 appearing consecutively in the sequence of prime gaps.

Much thanks for the link. :cool: I recently came across the GPY result while reading about Zhang's work on the Twin Primes Conjecture.
 
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