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08 Feb 2010, 11:23
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Hi all,
What is the fastest way to determine if a number is prime? I see some questions in which you need to check if a number is prime or not. The problem is sometimes the number is a huge number.
Thanks
What is the fastest way to determine if a number is prime? I see some questions in which you need to check if a number is prime or not. The problem is sometimes the number is a huge number.
Thanks
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08 Feb 2010, 11:42
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GS has posted the answer to this question on his flash cards so credit goes to him/her.
How to determine prime no = Find approx square root of the number. Then check if all the prime
numbers below the square root are factors of the given number. If none are then the number is
prime else not.
e.g. number 91. approx sq root is 10
Prime number below 10 are 2.3.5&7.
91 is not divisible by2,3 or 5. But it is divisible by 7.
Therefore 91 is not prime
How to determine prime no = Find approx square root of the number. Then check if all the prime
numbers below the square root are factors of the given number. If none are then the number is
prime else not.
e.g. number 91. approx sq root is 10
Prime number below 10 are 2.3.5&7.
91 is not divisible by2,3 or 5. But it is divisible by 7.
Therefore 91 is not prime
08 Feb 2010, 15:32
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Pedros above has posted the most efficient way to check if a number is prime. In general, it is *very* time consuming to prove that a large number *is* prime -- so time consuming that you could never be asked to do it on the GMAT. It is, however, sometimes easy to see that a large number is *not* prime, and that is something you are occasionally asked to do on the test. So, for example, it is easy enough to see that none of the numbers
31,112
31,113
31,114
31,115
31,116
are prime; three of them are even, 31,113 is divisible by 3 (add the digits) and 31,115 is divisible by 5 (it ends in 5). However, it would take several minutes with pen and paper to work out whether 31,111 is prime (it is not, as it turns out; it is divisible by 53). The only way to check that is to start trying to divide it by small primes until you find a factor, and that takes ages; you don't have time to do that on the GMAT, so they can't ask you to do it. The only way the GMAT can ask you whether a large number is prime is if it is not prime, and in that case the number must have an 'obvious' factor like 2, 3, or 5, or a factor you can find using algebraic techniques, as in the following examples:
11! + 7 (since 11! and 7 are both multiples of 7, when we add them we must get a multiple of 7, so 11! + 7 is not prime)
13^9 + 13^2 + 13 (again, we are adding multiples of 13, so we must get a multiple of 13; 13^9 + 13^2 + 13 is not prime)
1003^2 - 1000^2 (this follows the 'difference of squares' pattern, so we can factor: 1003^2 - 1000^2 = (1003+1000)(1003-1000) = (2003)(3), so is not a prime number)
31,112
31,113
31,114
31,115
31,116
are prime; three of them are even, 31,113 is divisible by 3 (add the digits) and 31,115 is divisible by 5 (it ends in 5). However, it would take several minutes with pen and paper to work out whether 31,111 is prime (it is not, as it turns out; it is divisible by 53). The only way to check that is to start trying to divide it by small primes until you find a factor, and that takes ages; you don't have time to do that on the GMAT, so they can't ask you to do it. The only way the GMAT can ask you whether a large number is prime is if it is not prime, and in that case the number must have an 'obvious' factor like 2, 3, or 5, or a factor you can find using algebraic techniques, as in the following examples:
11! + 7 (since 11! and 7 are both multiples of 7, when we add them we must get a multiple of 7, so 11! + 7 is not prime)
13^9 + 13^2 + 13 (again, we are adding multiples of 13, so we must get a multiple of 13; 13^9 + 13^2 + 13 is not prime)
1003^2 - 1000^2 (this follows the 'difference of squares' pattern, so we can factor: 1003^2 - 1000^2 = (1003+1000)(1003-1000) = (2003)(3), so is not a prime number)
