A Prime Number is a positive whole number that is greater than one and can not be divided by another positive number other than one and itself. There are rules that have been made concerning prime numbers these rules are: 2 is the only even prime number, no prime number other than 5 can end with a 5, the product of two prime numbers can never be a perfect square, if a prime number other than 2 or 3 is increased or decreased by one of the results is always devisable by 6: and after the unit of primes of 2,3,5 and 7 all other primes must end in 1,3,7or9.

An integer greater than 1 is called a prime number if it's only positive divisors or factors are 1 and itself.

For example the prime divisors of 10 are 2and 5:and the first six primes are 2,3,5,7,11 and 13. The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic shows that the primes are the building blocks of the positive integers:every positive integer is a product of prime numbers in one, only one way except the order of the factors. The Greeks provided that there can be a large spaces in between primes.

Recently computers have given new ways to search for the largest prime. The problem of distingusing prime numbers from composite numbers and of resolving the latter into their prime factors is known to be one of the most important and useful in arithmetic. It has engarded the industry and wisdom of ancient and modern geometers to such and extent the it would be superfluous to discuss the problem at length.

A Greek mathematician named Euclid who lived during the 3rd century proved that no one would ever be able to find the largest known prime, but scientist today proved that it is possible because there are millions of primes today and scienctists today are still adding to the list.

Information avalible at:

electric library

http://www.math.utah.edu/~alf

http://www.utm.edu/research/primes

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