The article celebrates prime numbers, which are vital in mathematics and cryptography. It highlights the work of Steve Thompson, a former maths teacher turned successful screenwriter, whose thriller 'Prime Target' incorporates themes of prime number research and its implications. The article presents two puzzles related to primes: one about calculating a power of three without a calculator and another about combining prices for items purchased at a convenience store, all leading to the same total. The article connects Thompson's fascination with primes to their historical significance and role in maintaining internet security.
Prime numbers are the building blocks of maths because every whole number can be expressed as the product of a unique combination of primes.
Thompson had the idea for Prime Target when he learned how prime numbers are used in cryptography to secure the internet from Simon Singh.
The sequence of prime numbers begins with 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 and continues indefinitely, intriguing mathematicians for centuries.
If a pattern is found in the primes, the secrets they help protect could potentially be compromised.
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