The definition of a prime number is a positive integer greater than 1 that is only divisible by 1 and itself. For instance, 13 is a prime number because it’s divisible by 1 and 13 only.
Prime numbers are significant in fields like mathematics, computer science, and cryptography. They are utilized for encryption, factorization, and proving the infinitude of primes. One crucial development was the invention of the Sieve of Eratosthenes, a method for finding prime numbers devised by the ancient Greek mathematician.
