Comments on: Another Look at Prime Numbers http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/ Learn Right, Not Rote. Wed, 16 May 2012 12:30:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Kalid http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/#comment-3439 Kalid Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:35:03 +0000 http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/#comment-3439 @Ryan: Really interesting question, I don't know much about the distribution unfortunately @brittany: Here's another analogy that might help: Each number is a "word" and primes are the "letters" that make it up, assuming we can only multiply. So 100 is made of 10 * 10 = 2 * 5 * 2 * 5. Interestingly, there is an infinite number of primes ("letters"), like an alphabet with an infinite number of letters (imagine chinese... there is no limit to how many symbols they can make :)). It's not a perfect analogy but it's another way to see the primes as "building blocks" for other numbers. @Ryan: Really interesting question, I don’t know much about the distribution unfortunately

@brittany: Here’s another analogy that might help: Each number is a “word” and primes are the “letters” that make it up, assuming we can only multiply. So 100 is made of 10 * 10 = 2 * 5 * 2 * 5.

Interestingly, there is an infinite number of primes (“letters”), like an alphabet with an infinite number of letters (imagine chinese… there is no limit to how many symbols they can make :) ). It’s not a perfect analogy but it’s another way to see the primes as “building blocks” for other numbers.

]]> By: brittany http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/#comment-3438 brittany Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:26:23 +0000 http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/#comment-3438 ok these are all great comments..but i think i am over thinking primes...well i am still not understanding them..... ughh...i just wont give up untill i have mastered these or at least come to an understanding of how they work...someone help me please!!! 21 yr old ...lost in her textbooks!!! ok these are all great comments..but i think i am over thinking primes…well i am still not understanding them….. ughh…i just wont give up untill i have mastered these or at least come to an understanding of how they work…someone help me please!!! 21 yr old …lost in her textbooks!!!

]]> By: Ryan http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/#comment-3437 Ryan Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:14:05 +0000 http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/#comment-3437 Very nice article and some great comments. I was wondering if anyone knew of any research or insight regarding the square roots of primes. eg do they exhibit certain properties for different primes ie large primes, messerne primes, their distribution, etc. (of course they are all irrational...) It's strange but I had a dream about the squares of smaller primes displaying more "chaotic" behavior in their decimal expansion (what ever that means, it was a dream!) Very nice article and some great comments.

I was wondering if anyone knew of any research or insight regarding the square roots of primes. eg do they exhibit certain properties for different primes ie large primes, messerne primes, their distribution, etc. (of course they are all irrational…)

It’s strange but I had a dream about the squares of smaller primes displaying more “chaotic” behavior in their decimal expansion (what ever that means, it was a dream!)

]]> By: TE http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/#comment-3436 TE Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:33:45 +0000 http://betterexplained.com/articles/another-look-at-prime-numbers/#comment-3436 A bit of a late reply to Arun, but it's used for cryptography because you can't get the prime numbers used to encode something. Look at RSA system for the most popular cyptographic system in the world now. A formula takes two different prime numbers and uses them to generate some other numbers. Those other numbers are used to get keys to encrypt and decrypt. If you don't know those prime numbers, you won't be able to figure out the keys. Hacking it means that you'll be trying to "brute force" by testing out every prime number and see if you can get one that generates a key used to decrypt a file. A bit of a late reply to Arun, but it’s used for cryptography because you can’t get the prime numbers used to encode something. Look at RSA system for the most popular cyptographic system in the world now.

A formula takes two different prime numbers and uses them to generate some other numbers. Those other numbers are used to get keys to encrypt and decrypt. If you don’t know those prime numbers, you won’t be able to figure out the keys. Hacking it means that you’ll be trying to “brute force” by testing out every prime number and see if you can get one that generates a key used to decrypt a file.

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