A basic feature of number theory, prime numbers are also a fundamental building block of computer science, from hashtables to cryptography. Everyone knows that a prime number is one that cannot be ...

The Riemann hypothesis is the most important open question in number theory—if not all of mathematics. It has occupied experts for more than 160 years. And the problem appeared both in mathematician ...

Prime numbers are a mathematical mystery.You may be wondering, if the number stretches to more than 23m digits, why we need to know about it? Surely the most important numbers are the ones that we can ...

Prime numbers are found hidden in nature, but humans have made spectacular use of them, writes mathematician Marcus du Sautoy. Ever since humans evolved on this planet we have been trying to make ...

You have most likely heard the term factor before. A factor is a number that goes into another. The factors of 10 for example are 1, 2, 5 and 10. Prime numbers are a special set of numbers that only ...

At a low enough temperature, water freezes into ice by arranging its molecules into a very regular pattern called crystal. However many other liquids freeze not into crystals, but in much less regular ...

Introducing the world's largest known prime... The largest known prime number has been discovered by a computer at a university in Missouri in the US. Prime numbers - such as two, three, five and ...

The discovery of M136279841 is the first prime found using this new GPU-driven approach, and it signals a new era for both prime hunting and the broader use of GPUs in scientific research.

The largest known prime number has been discovered, smashing the previous record by more than 16 million digits.