random

Can Prime Numbers Be Arbitrarily Far Apart?

šŸ’” The Answer

  • For any positive integer n, there exists a sequence of n consecutive composite numbers.
  • This is proven by constructing the sequence (n+1)!+2 through (n+1)!+(n+1).
  • Each term is divisible by numbers from 2 to n+1, so none is prime.
  • Thus prime gaps can be as large as we want, though small gaps also occur infinitely often.

šŸ”— You Might Also Like

šŸ“… On This Day — July 303 events →

1912 — Japan's Emperor Meiji dies and is succeeded by his son Yoshihito, who is now kno

1912 — Japan's Emperor Meiji dies and is succeeded by his son Yoshihito, who is now kno

šŸ“£ Share this fact