Prime numbers it goes into one and itself whats the big deal am I missing something?

Question

What good are prime numbers , Do they explain the theory of T.O.E. theory of everything? Why are they so highly reguarded.

Answer 1

Because every counting number is either a prime or is made up of them (except 1). Maybe not the T.O.E., but they explain alot about how numbers relate to each other.

Answer 2

A prime number is not divisible by any other number than itself and 1. All numbers are either prime, or not prime (called the composite because they are composed, multiplicatively, of other numbers) meaning that they can be expressed as a multiplication problem of only prime numbers. For example 84 is 2x2x3x7. No matter what composite number you start out with, when you decompose or factor it you will get the same prime factors each and every time.

Primes certainly don't explain everything, but the factoring of numbers into primes has incredible implications from including fractions and the encryption that allows private information to be sent over public media like the Internet.

Answer 3

Scientists and mathematicians always try to break things down into simpler parts. In "ordinary" chemistry and physics, the simplest particle is the atom.

If you think of numbers as being built up by multiplication, then prime numbers are the atoms in this context. We "break down" numbers by factoring them into two numbers. We make the rule that the factorization of 14 as 14x1 doesn't really count as ""breaking down" 14 -- we want to insist that when you break 14 down, 14 itself does not appear in the result.

On the other hand, the factorization of 14 as 2 times 7 does really break 14 into two pieces (multiplicatively).

If you take this point of view, the primes are the "atoms" of the numbers. They can't be broken down. There is no way write 7 as the product of two whole numbers, both of which are smaller than 7.

54 is not a prime. It's an even number.

54 = 2 x 27

27 is not a prime. It's the product of 3x9

54 = 2x 27 = 2x(3x9)

9 is not a prime because 9 = 3x3

54 = 2x (3 x (3x3))

2 and 3 are primes. That means 54 is a sort of molecule made up of one 2 and three 3's, because both 2 and 3 are prime.

Answer 4

Prime numbers are beautiful. I'm not so good at mathematics that I can convince you of the beauty and power of Number Theory. But I can tell myself, just as an amateur, that it is beautiful. Prime numbers are to Number Theory what rhythm and pitch are to a symphony. They're foundational to creating something magnificent (and to understanding the deeper things of this magnificent created world in which we live.)

But prime numbers are practical for non-math-wizards, too. Heck, even basic math seventh graders have to know what a prime number is. You can find prime factorizations and least common multiples, which come in handy when working with fractions.That's very practical down-to-earth stuff.

Answer 5

Prime numbers are both facinating anf valuable. Valuable because there is no predictable pattern to them, which makes them very important in the world of encyption and security, and facinating because there is no predictable pattern to them (as there are to other types of numbers) and even though there is no predictable pattern to them, there seems to be some type of order to them. When investiaging prime numbers graphically, particular patterns seem to arrise for a short time, however, they eventually dissipate or change. An example of this is Ulam's Spiral, which can be seen here:

http://www.hermetic.ch/pns/pns.htm

Further more, it appears that all non-prime numbers are indeed the result of prime multiplication.

Answer 6

Every even number is the sum of two primes. So 100=53+47. This is Goldbach's conjecture. It's been tested on billions of even numbers and it always works, but nobody's ever proved that it works for all even numbers. If you can prove it, there's a US$1million prize you can claim.

Answer 7

Theyre not really highly regarded. I dont really know. But I guess they are just unusual because they can only go into one and itself. I've only seen them used in problems where you list prime numbers...

Answer 8

they are special due to the fact that they represent more than a book keeping tool. They fit into another higher realm of thought. I guess you could say the abstract because more thought has to go into finding them. So they tend to represent a higher intellect.That's why we broadcast them into space in the hopes they will be recognized by like minded beings. and maybe get an answer.
cool huh !!!!!!