Why should I switch to Python? - Infinity of Primes

Gordon McMillan gmcm at hypernet.com
Tue Apr 4 15:55:16 EDT 2000


David C. Ullrich wrote:

> ... Could be that there's a proof of the existence
> of infinitely many primes using FTA that has some property
> not shared by Euclid's proof, but "constructive" isn't it.

Oh, come on. There are at least 3 well known constructive 
proofs that all odd numbers are prime:

The mathematician's:
 3 is prime,
 5 is prime,
 7 is prime
 as so on, by induction.

The physicist's:
 3 is prime,
 5 is prime,
 7 is prime,
 9 is prime <experimental error>
 11 is prime...

The computer scientist's:
 3 is prime,
 3 is prime,
 3 is prime ....


- Gordon




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