Prime Numbers

A prime number is any number greater than 1 that is divisible only by itself and 1. The only even prime number is 2, since all other even numbers are at least divisible by themselves, 1, and 2.

The idea of primacy dates back hundreds of years. Mathematicians began putting forth ideas concerning prime numbers as early as 400 B.C., but Greek mathematician Euclid is largely credited with publishing the first concrete theories involving prime numbers in his work Elements (est. 300 B.C.). Since then, prime numbers have proved to be elusive mysteries in the world of mathematics.