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๐ข Number Theory
Prime Numbers
Numbers divisible only by 1 and themselves; infinite in number; key to cryptography and security
Greece ๐ 300 BC Number Theory
Key Facts
- 1
Euclid (300 BC) proved there are infinitely many prime numbers โ one of the oldest proofs in mathematics
- 2
Sieve of Eratosthenes: ancient algorithm to find all primes up to a given number
- 3
RSA encryption (internet security): based on the difficulty of factoring large numbers into primes
๐ข Did you know? The largest known prime number (as of 2024) has 41,024,320 digits โ found by a volunteer computer project running for years
Quick Reference
Category
Number Theory
Country
๐ Greece
Year / Era
300 BC
About
Numbers divisible only by 1 and themselves