|
|
Re: prime numbers and African artifact
Bill Sudbrink (bill@umsa7.umd.edu)
8 Jul 1995 03:35:50 GMT
In article <3tk9f2$n4n@kira.cc.uakron.edu> r3dlb1@dax.cc.uakron.edu (David L Burkhead ) writes:
>In article <1995Jul7.191856.23484@vtf.idx.com> rsf@mother.idx.com (Rob Freundlich) writes:
>>In article <5JUL199517392971@almach.caltech.edu>,
>> shoppa@almach.caltech.edu (Timothy D. Shoppa) wrote:
>>>In article <DB8qqE.3uI@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca>,
>>shallit@graceland.uwaterloo.ca (Jeffrey Shallit) writes...
>>>> "A piece of bone found in Africa and dated at around 8,500 B.C.
>>>>has engraved markings containing what appear to be representations of
>>>>the numbers 11, 13, 17, and 19, all of which are prime numbers ..."
>>>>
>>>What? They left out 9, 15, and 21, some of the most useful prime numbers
>>>of all! :^)
>>
>>No, no, no. Those are the *even* numbers! The primes are 1, 4, 9, 16, 25,
>>36, etc.
>
> *Is there a mathematician in the house???*
>
> Well, I'm not a mathematician, but as a Physicist in Training
>(Undergraduate senior), I sometimes play one on Usenet. ;)
>
> In basic terms a prime number is a positive integer, excluding
>one, that can only be evenly (no fractions or remainders) divided by
>itself and one. The first few primes are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 19,
>23, and so on.
It must REALLY HURT to swallow the hook that deep. Ouch!
>
> For those who care: it is known that the number of primes is
>infinite and there is no largest prime number (which are, I think,
>just different ways of saying the same thing).
>
>David L. Burkhead
>r3dlb1@dax.cc.uakron.edu
>d.burkhead@genie.geis.com
>
>--
> Spacecub - The Artemis Project - Artemis Magazine
>
> Box 831
> Akron, OH 44309-0831
|