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Quite the opposite. There's proof that there's an infinite number of prime numbers. EDIT: It's actually a pretty simple proof. First, recall that any composi
by Sohcahtoa82 6y ago
Quite the opposite.
There's proof that there's an infinite number of prime numbers.
EDIT: It's actually a pretty simple proof.
First, recall that any composite number can be made by multiplying primes. If a factor is not prime, then it can be broken down further until you end up with only primes. For example, 60 = 12 * 5, but 12 is not prime and can be broken down further into 3 * 4, but 4 is 2 * 2. So the prime factorization of 60 is 2 * 2 * 3 * 5.
Second, assume that there is a finite number of prime numbers, and label them p1, p2, p3, etc, all the way up to pn, where pn is the highest prime number.
Multiply all the prime numbers together and add 1. Since this number has the form p1 * p2 * p3 * ... * pn + 1, if you try to divide it by any prime number, you will still have a remainder of 1. Therefore, this number will be prime.
Therefore, because you can always create a new prime by multiplying all primes and adding 1, there are an infinite number of prime numbers.