Prime Numbers
The main focus of this lesson revolves around the concept of prime numbers. What
is something special about these numbers? Watch the following videos accessible
through the links below, then share how prime numbers are utilized.
1. https://youtu.be/rLUpFYH80i0
2. https://youtu.be/B4xOFsygwr4
Prime number pertains to a whole number having only two different factors, which
are 1 and itself.
A composite number has an opposite idea to that of a prime number. This number is
greater than 1 and has more factors than 1 and itself.
An ancient method of finding prime numbers is by using the Sieve of Eratosthenes,
whose name implies that this process is devised by the Greek mathematician
Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Here is how it is done:
1. Make a list of numbers from 2 consecutively up to the desired number 𝑛. It
would be convenient to lay each number to a cell in a table like what you see
below (for 𝑛=100):
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
2. Choose the smallest prime number 2, then crash out all of its multiple.
3. Look for the next prime number, then crash out all its multiple.
4. Do the 3rd step continually until the algorithm stops or until the next prime
number selected no longer has a multiple. The numbers which remained not
crashed out are prime numbers.
How to Identify Primes
1. Use Sieve of Eratosthenes
2. Apply divisibility rules
3. Divide the number by all prime numbers less than its square root.
Types of Prime Numbers
1. Repunit Prime – a prime number that only contains 1 to all its digits. It also
10 𝑛 − 1
comes in the form 𝑅𝑛 = 9
.
2. Fermat Prime – a prime number of form 22𝑛 +1.
3. Absolute Prime – a prime number that stays to be prime to all permutation of
its digits.
4. Twin Prime – a prime number which, when added or subtracted by 2, results
in another prime number.
5. Cousin prime – a prime number which, when added or subtracted by 4, results
in another prime number.
6. Sexy Primes – a prime number which, when added or subtracted by 6, results
in another prime number.
7. Balanced Prime – a prime number which is a mean of two other prime
𝑝𝑛−1 + 𝑝𝑛+1 numbers
(𝑝𝑛 = 2 ).
8. Palindromic Prime – prime number which maintains the same equivalent
prime number, even when read backward
9. Reversible Prime or Emirp – a prime number that results in a different prime
number when read backward.
10. Pythagorean Primes – the square of this prime number is equivalent to the
sum of squares of any two natural numbers. It also comes in the form 4𝑛+
1.
11. Centered Square Prime – a prime number equivalent to the sum of squares
of two consecutive natural numbers.
12. Titanic Prime – a prime number that consists of at least 1000 decimal digits
(10999 +𝑛)
13. Gigantic Prime – a prime number that consists of at least 10,000 decimal
digits (109999 +𝑛)
14. Megaprime – a prime number that consists of at least 1 million decimal
digits.
15. Mersenne Prime – prime number of the form 𝑀𝑛 =2𝑛 −1.
• M82589933
• December 21,2018
• 24,862,048 digits
• Patrick Laroche from Ocala, Florida
• US $3,000
• Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search – distributed computing
project on the internet.
Watch the following videos on Mersenne prime numbers. The link is provided
below. https://youtu.be/pDLWOvBo9k0
Access or download the word file with the link attached below to see how multitude
the digits of the latest identified Mersenne prime number.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mWukkzGp32ofZeAgww212s1zBk3g7uYk/view
?usp=sharing
