maths.free › Number Theory › Prime numbers

Prime numbers

Testing for primality by trial division up to the square root.

A prime has no divisors except 1 and itself. To test n, try the primes up to √n only: if n had a factor larger than √n, it would also have one smaller. For enormous numbers this is too slow and probabilistic tests take over, but the idea is the same.

Àwọn ààtò àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò · is 97 prime

Is 97 prime

97

Àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò

  1. \sqrt{97} \approx 9

    Only primes up to √97 need testing: any factor above it pairs with one below.

  2. 97 \bmod 2 = 1

    2 does not divide 97.

  3. 97 \bmod 3 = 1

    3 does not divide 97.

  4. 97 \bmod 5 = 2

    5 does not divide 97.

  5. 97 \bmod 7 = 6

    7 does not divide 97.

  6. \text{97 is prime}

    No prime up to the square root divides it, so it has no factors other than 1 and itself.

Fi àwọn àgbèwọlé hàn
\text{97 is prime}

Nígbà yìí Yan àwọn àkóónú kan, tàbí tẹ̀ àtí kọ́ àwọn àkóónú rẹ̀. Àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò gbogbo, àwòrán, àwọn à

Fi iṣẹ́ rẹ̀ pamọ́

A free account adds notes on every lesson, a record of what you have finished, your solved problems in one place, and a tutor you can ask about this page. The maths itself is open to everyone, signed in or not.

Fikún Àwọn Ìṣàmúlò-ètò

Àwọn àmì-ìwé tí a lo níbẹ̀

Tẹ àwọn àmì-ìwé fún ìṣàfarawé fún àwọn ìṣàmúlò-ètò, àwòrán, àti àwọn àmì-ìwé àwọn àmì-ìwé.

Bii o ṣe le: Prime numbers

  1. Only primes up to √97 need testing: any factor above it pairs with one below.
  2. 2 does not divide 97.
  3. 3 does not divide 97.
  4. 5 does not divide 97.
  5. 7 does not divide 97.
  6. No prime up to the square root divides it, so it has no factors other than 1 and itself.

Àwọn Àtòjọ-ẹ̀yàn

Why are primes so important?

Every integer factors into primes in exactly one way, so primes are the atoms of multiplication. Cryptography relies on that factoring being easy to state and hard to do.

How do I tell whether a big number is prime?

Trial division up to the square root works for small numbers. For large ones, probabilistic tests (Miller-Rabin) give an answer that is wrong with negligible probability, and deterministic tests (AKS) exist but are slower.

Diẹ̀ nínú Number Theory