Today, people use complex computing networks to search for prime numbers with millions of digits. But early mathematicians were running these calculations by hand.
Articles on Prime numbers
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A new largest known prime number was found last month by an amateur mathematician, continuing a millennia-long quest to understand hidden patterns in the infinite tapestry of numbers.
Three groups of cicadas have emerged together this year for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. The reason is pure mathematics.
Mathematicians are like anatomists learning how a body works, or navigators charting new waters.
A famous mathematician claims to have cracked a longstanding problem involving prime numbers. But his results still need to be verified.
Prime numbers are the biggest and oldest data set in mathematics. Why have they captivated mathematicians for millennia?
Prime numbers are a mathematical mystery.
We don’t know what knowledge we’ll need in the future, and that’s where maths research comes in.
The largest known prime number has been discovered. But what does it all mean?
If you know a bit about how numbers are made then you don’t need to work out all 144 calculations in a 12 by 12 times table.
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Professor of Mathematics, University of Richmond
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Mathematician, University of Portsmouth
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Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of California, Santa Cruz
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Director of Research for Mathematics, University of Hull
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Acting Director of Research, Reader in Global Development, Newcastle University
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Research Associate in Mathematics, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor, Mathematics, Australian National University
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Professor, Philosophy of Science, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Mathematics , University of Sydney
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Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of North Dakota