Does anyone remember prime numbers?! 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17 etc.. Well, I guess we do, but just to refresh our memories, a prime number is basically any number which is divisible only by itself and the number 1. Now that we back on the same track, is there anyone who hated mathematics so much that you'd ask at some point in class.. Are prime numbers even important? How would we apply them in real life context?! Well, that was my mentality as a child, fortunately for me, I have grown and gathered a wealth of knowledge on this. The answer to the question earlier asked is: Yes, Prime numbers are actually very important and could be applied to real life situations, from cyber security to movies, prime numbers have actually made their mark in virtually every facet of life. There are strong chances that you might actually be making use of prime numbers this very moment, but you really might not just know it yet!..but subsequently, we'd find out as I have included in this article some of the awesomely amazing ways where which prime numbers have directly or indirectly made its impact in our lives, but first of, let's gets some scholarly exposition on what prime numbers actually are... follow through.
What Are Prime Numbers?!
Mark Haddon, in his book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, is quoted saying...
"Prime numbers are what we have left when all the patterns to numbers are taken away"
After reading this, it immediately seemed quite logical to me, reason being when it comes to prime one could never really thoroughly work out the rules guiding them. Thus, on this, I would practically agree with Haddon, looking at how unpredictable prime numbers have become over time as we head down the number line. Let's take a look at a basic definition from Wikipedia:
prime numbers are natural numbers that cannot be formed by multiplying two smaller natural numbers.
Although to a lame man, the explanation by Wiki wouldn't exactly give a proper and comprehensive insight as to what prime numbers truly are. But in much more simplified words, we could say that a number is called a prime number only if such a number cannot be divided by any other number without a remainder, other than itself and the number 1.
As much as I hated mathematics earlier in life, I practically can still remember some examples of prime numbers, I feel particularly good writing it out in descending order: if you'd take a closer look at these numbers, you'd discover that these prime numbers have quite a few things in common, let's look at them, a little mathematical fun:
The prime number 73,939,133 is often regarded as a weird one, this is due to the fact that if you keep removing its last digits, the answers are always prime numbers as well.
Natural numbers are either prime numbers or composites. If they aren't prime numbers, then they are definitely composites.
2 prime numbers cannot be multiplied to get a larger prime number, this is simply because each prime number is the basis of itself.
Prime numbers are endless. no matter how much is found, we can never really get enough of them. just as there's no ultimate natural number.
Can't quite remember where I picked up this facts but they are pretty amazing facts I'd say!!... Well to the business of the day.. How important are Prime Numbers To Life?!
Prime numbers and security
Prime Numbers And Security. Pxhere CC0
You probably didn't know that the security system of a lot of encryption algorithms is based on a single important factor. These security systems have a whole lot or perhaps everything to do with prime numbers. According to a notable number of mathematicians, it is quite easy to multiply two large prime numbers and get a certain result, but it turns out to be hard, Infact extremely computer-intensive to do the reverse of the same process. Given a number which is a number that is the product of two prime numbers, finding the two prime numbers woukdbprove extremely. The term accrued to this problem is called prime factorization and furthermore, finding an algorithm which does this quickly is one of the biggest yet to be solved problems in the field of computer science.
So, if security numbers or passwords (as you might choose to call them) are made to be extremely long long and complex, and also the product of two prime numbers, it could take the fastest computer (yet existing) in the world about two (2) decades to correctly decode the information behind it. This is what gives online security firms the required time which they need to protect any of your personal data and also apprehend criminals who tries to crack it out. Today, ecryption also has become the very life blood behind every sorts of existing online monetary transactions. Briefly put, if you have a little knowledge on cryptography, you'd know that prime numbers are what makes it possible for your money to be protected and also keeps your personal information from being stolen.
Prime numbers and nature
Hexagon pattern bee hive. Pixabay CC0
Mathematics is beautiful, when not compared to the inner beauty of a woman (or her outward nakedness). In fact, on e of the most awesomely amazing things I have come to love about mathematics is how it manages to cut through every facet of life, it presence could even be felt in nature. Look at the very scales of a pineapple; it's there.. what about the structure of a beehive and even the petals of a rose?!.. you'd find mathematics wrapped all over it -- you'd only need to look a little deeper.
The presence of prime numbers in nature is simply amazing. Recent result of scientific research has it that the cicada insects makes use of prime numbers to come out of their burrows and even lay their eggs. (isn't this amazing?! huh?!). Just incase you didn't know, Cicadas leave their burrows only in intervals of seven (7), thirteen (13) or seventeen (17) years. it's on theory the fact that cicades makes use of prime numbers just so that predators wouldn't be able to evolve accordingly and as such prey on them. Put differently, these cicadas insects make use of prime numbers to ensure their survival, this is simply incredible.
Prime numbers and popular culture
Over time, it has become quite a notable fact that mathematicians and scientists alike are both very fascinated by prime numbers But today, this fascination has over stepped boundaries and moved unto the other side of life as it has also become a source of inspiration to writers, musicians and other artistic artists alike. "A Beautiful Mind", an academy Award winning film made use extensively of prime numbers while trying to tell the story of the gifted economist in the person of John Nash. Also, Carl Sagan, a science fiction and astronomy legend, once wrote a book titled "Contact about using prime numbers to communicate with aliens." (You gotta read this book, it's amazing). These movies and books have proven that prime numbers are also a source of inspiration to persons in other fields, other than the realm of science and mathematics.. with prime numbers, there is no restrictions.
Prime numbers and gaming - Candy Crush
Image by Seungbeom Kim CC0 via Flickr
Unlike me who once hated mathematics and all its theories, but now love it; your case might actually be different as you just might still find mathematics and all it's theories might quite boring and that sorta thing than could never catch your interest. Well in some few moments, you would begin to imagine just how important mathematics really is to you. Over time, a lot of ground breaking scientific inventions and discoveries have been utmostly fueled by a lot of mathematical theories. The much loved Candy Crush, a very common gaming application found on the phones and tablets of a good percentage of the world population of gaming kids and adults alike -- was also built and runs on some certain mathematical principles and theories. Read more on that here.
A vast majority of these theories would not be in existence if not for the use of prime numbers. You doubt that?!, Take a look at the number theory, this would never have been able to see the light of day without the aid of prime numbers. So just bear in mind each time you hit a combo on Candy Crush, that there is a need to say a silent or maybe just a little thank you to prime numbers, but it’s up to you, not me, haha.
Life And Numbers-- Prime numbers are practically found everywhere
Aside from the number 1, the other integers would be either a prime number, or would consist of prime numbers. Previously, the number 1 was considered to be the smallest prime number existing, but currently, the number 1 is neither existing as a prime nor a composite number. Take for instance random number, say twenty six (26). Breaking twenty six (26) down to its Lowest Common Multiple (LCM), what we would get is 2 times 13, Two (2) and thirteen (13) happen to be prime numbers. So, irrespective of what number you might make use of, you would be making use of a combination of prime numbers. If you give proper thought to it, what this means is that you are virtually always making use of prime numbers. Now you know, right?!
Prime numbers have embedded within themselves quite an amazing potential and have been used for amazing projects over time. If we give time to learning about these prime numbers, we could educate ourselves about the world and bring about some more countless advancement in technology. Now straight up to the point an trying to make, having all these in mind, when next time you get to teach prime numbers to the little kids, it'd be a great idea to mention a few of these startling facts to them. No one can tell, one of them might just be able to unravel new mysteries of prime numbers which were never known before now. I read somewhere that you could win about $3000 for discovering the next prime number, check that out here
References
¤ Candy crush puzzling mathematics
¤ Why should we care about prime numbers
¤ TIL: Life in Numbers --- Prime numbers and their importance in Cryptography and security
