THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIME NUMBERS
Main Article Content
Muneer Ahmad Sofi
Sobiya Jan
Prime numbers have captivated mathematicians for centuries due to their foundational role in number theory and their extensive applications in fields such as cryptography, computer science, and pure mathematics. This paper traces the historical development of prime numbers, beginning with early explorations in ancient Greece and continuing through significant advancements in modern mathematics. Key contributions from renowned mathematicians such as Euclid, Euler, Gauss, and Riemann are discussed, as well as the impact of prime numbers on contemporary technologies, particularly in encryption and computational research. The evolution of prime number theory, including ongoing research on the Riemann Hypothesis, is explored to emphasize the ongoing relevance and mystery of primes in both mathematics and technology.
Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham). (10th century). Book of Optics.
Euler, L. (1748). Introductio in analysin infinitorum.
Euclid. (circa 300 BCE). Elements.
Fermat, P. (1640). Arithmetica (written around 1640, though not published until later).
Gauss, C.F. (1801). Disquisitiones Arithmeticae.
GIMPS Project. (2024). Largest Known Prime Numbers.
Hardy, G.H., & Wright, E.M. (1938). An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.
Mersenne, M. (1644). Cogitata Physico-Mathematica.
Riemann, B. (1859). On the Number of Primes Less Than a Given Magnitude.
Euler, L. (1737). De seriebus divergentibus.
Al-Khwarizmi, M. (9th century). Al-Kitab al-Mukhtasar fi Hisab al-Jabr wal-Muqabala.
Pappus of Alexandria. (4th century CE). Collection (also known as Synagoge).
Mersenne, M. (1644). Cogitata Physico-Mathematica.
Diophantus. (c. 250 CE). Arithmetica.
Turing, A. (1936). On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem.
