Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

prime show

  • 26-07-2007 10:41am
    #1
    TX123
    Closed Accounts Posts: 183 ✭✭


    anyone see that show last nite on prime numbers. very good but confusing. can anyone explain what he was going on about with zero numbers and the reimann hypothesis. :eek:


Comments

  • #2
    LeixlipRed
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,081 ✭✭✭LeixlipRed


    riemann hypothesis has to do with roots of complex equations or something like that. something dead exciting like :D Didn't see the show, what channel was it on?


  • #3
    TX123
    Closed Accounts Posts: 183 ✭✭TX123


    it was on bbc2 at 12.20 a.m supposedly if proved correct the end of the financial internet world will happen.


  • #4
    aequinoctium
    Closed Accounts Posts: 667 ✭✭✭aequinoctium


    what show was this?



    Riemann Hypothesis:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_hypothesis


  • #5
    dan719
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,597 ✭✭✭dan719


    The riemann hypothesis states that all the non trivial zeros of the zeta function lie on the line of real part a half. The spacing of these zeros is related to the spacing of the prime numbers and so if true the hypothesis would allow for much more research into one of my personal favourite area of maths.Many 'proofs' today begin with- assuming the Rh to be true.. I am by no means an expert although no doubt some of those on this forum are. (I love boards.) For an interesting introduction(which includes Maths and a biography of Riemann) see Prime Progression.


  • #6
    ecksor
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 10,501 Mod ✭✭✭✭ecksor


    I posted a review a few years ago of "the music of the primes" on the good maths books thread stickied aat the top of the forum. You can find that book in paperback in a lot of places these days.

    As for the problem ... Well, since I read that book I've done a degree in maths, taken two modules on complex analysis, one on number theory and did my final year maths short dissertation on analytic number theory but any of my attempts to explain it will still be vague, possibly inaccurate and I'd need to wave my hands around a lot. I can definitely recommend that book though.

    As for the end of the financial internet thing, well, basically that's a reference to the fact that factoring large numbers into primes is still a tough problem and the security of the RSA crypto system is based upon this. There is the possibility that a proof of the riemann hypothesis will give some insight that will weaken or break this security, but I don't believe there's any actual specific description of how that would happen (and if there was, I think we'd see experimental methods being tried regardless of a proof). Besides that, there are other crypto systems that could be adopted and protocols such as SSL are not tied down to any given algorithm.


  • Advertisement
Advertisement