prime number
7
3.6
- noun
- /praɪm ˈnʌmbər/
- Specialized
:
número primo
- The number 7 is a prime number because it cannot be divided evenly by any other whole number.
- two prime numbers
- large prime numbers
- sequence of prime numbers
Is there a prime number bigger than this one?
- Is there a prime number bigger than this one?
- But the point is, there are many, many, many theorems about prime numbers.
- You can like prove that Aristostony sieve produces all prime numbers and only prime numbers.
- That's not the case with the sort of silly prime number accumulator that I showed.
- It's saying prime numbers certainly work, will always work, can you do any better?
Examples
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Surely they must have at least understood numerical sequences such as prime numbers: why didn't they reply?
Fiction book (1997) -
The ending of the book (not in the film) poses a compelling idea involving prime numbers, which is an engaging thought experiment.
Blog text (15) -
Is there a prime number bigger than this one?
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2, 3, 5, 7 are all prime numbers.
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I know it's a prime number.
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And two is a prime number, which makes it a lucky number.
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"Thirty-one is a prime number," I said.
Fiction book (2002) -
So, you know, prime numbers are one of the things that number theorists study the most and have for millennia.
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Nowadays, data is encrypted by multiplying two big prime numbers together.
Fiction book (1999) -
They're all prime numbers.
Synonyms
A whole number greater than 1 that can only be divided evenly by 1 and itself
Antonyms
- Specialized
A whole number greater than one that can be divided evenly by a number other than one and itself
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'prime' denotes the mathematical property (divisible only by 1 and itself) applied to 'number', so the compound denotes a number with that property. This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common mathematical construction that a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses will readily understand.
Etymology
Prime number comes from prime, which meant 'first' or 'main'. Think of a prime as a number that is 'first' because you cannot make it by multiplying two smaller whole numbers. Only 1 and the number itself divide it, so prime number means a whole number greater than 1 with no other divisors.