Prime number

In mathematics, a prime number (or prime) is a natural number greater than one whose only positive divisors are one and itself. Or for short: A prime number is a natural number with exactly two natural divisors. A natural number that is greater than one and is not a prime is called a composite number. The numbers zero and one are neither prime nor composite. The property of being a prime is called primality. Prime numbers are of fundamental importance in number theory.

References

• Karl Sabbagh, The Riemann Hypothesis: The Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 340 pages
• John Derbyshire, Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics. Joseph Henry Press; 448 pages
• Marcus du Sautoy, The Music of the Primes: Searching to Solve the Greatest Mystery in Mathematics. HarperCollins; 352 pages
• H. Riesel, Prime Numbers and Computer Methods for Factorization, 2nd ed., Birkhäuser 1994.