RESOURCES
Step 1.There are infinite prime numbers and they keep going on forever. Hence, prime numbers has a long history. Before you start the task please follow the link and learn much about the history of prime numbers. History
Step 2. Prime numbers are important because any natural number can be broken down into products of primes with the exception of number 1. View the links below to get a brief understanding the definition of prime numbers as well as properties of them. Definition 1 OR Definition 2 & Video: Prime Numbers
Step 3. There are several different methods for finding prime numbers. Follow this links and use information given the links for solving the problems. For example watch the video and notice the prime spirals. Prime Spiral
Step 4. For small prime numbers, a common way to search is that starting with all numbers up to a particular limit and then remove the composite numbers and one. This is called a Eratosthenes sieve method. View the link below to get a brief understanding of how to use the Eratosthenes Sieve derive prime and composite numbers. Sieve Method & Video about Sieve Method
Step 5. View this video demonstrating and explaining what and how we arrive at composite numbers. Prime&Composite Numbers
Step 6. Time to see Prime Numbers in real life!
It is not too difficult to factor small numbers like 123 or 1234567. But factoring larger numbers, like 1020030004000050000060000007, is more difficult. And the effort required rises very rapidly as the number of digits increases. On the other hand, it turns out to be easy, using some number theory, to find very large primes. Here is one: 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000063. It is a 1 followed by forty zeros followed by 63. It is easy to generate large primes like this, but difficult to break large numbers into primes. This is the basis of RSA cryptography. RSA stands for Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir andLeonard Adleman, who first publicly described the algorithm in 1977. Follow this link for more information about RSA cryptography. RSA
=>> To realize more the importance of prime numbers in our daily life view the video Video about primes in daily life
Step 7. The primes seem to "thin out" as the numbers get bigger and bigger. This leads us to the question: Do we ever run out of primes? Well,it turns out that there are infinitely many primes! This fact was discovered by the Greeks around 300 BC. The proof is found in Euclid's Elements. Follow this link to see the Proof
Step 8. The book" An essential reference for all who love primes by Chris Caldwell and G.L. Honaker, Jr." is for learners interested more in prime numbers. For more information see a book of prime
Step 9.To see the largest prime investigate the website the largest prime
Step 10. Now that you have an understanding of what the prime numbers are. Hence you are going to solve the problems and do exercises related this lesson. First view the websites and then complete the worksheets provided. Problem 1 & Problem 2