Definition:Prime Number/Historical Note
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Historical Note on Prime Number
The concept of classifying numbers as prime or composite appears to have originated with the Pythagoreans.
The seemingly random and irregular distribution of the primes has challenged mathematicians since ancient times.
- Mathematicians have tried in vain to this day to discover some order in the sequence of prime numbers, and we have reason to believe that it is a mystery into which the human mind will never penetrate.
- -- Leonhard Paul Euler, $1751$
Sources
- 1992: George F. Simmons: Calculus Gems ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text {A}.2$: Pythagoras (ca. $\text {580}$ – $\text {500}$ B.C.)
- 1992: George F. Simmons: Calculus Gems ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $\text {A}.31$: Chebyshev ($\text {1821}$ – $\text {1894}$)