Formula For Primes - Formula Based On A System of Diophantine Equations

Formula Based On A System of Diophantine Equations

A system of 14 Diophantine equations in 26 variables can be used to obtain a Diophantine representation of the set of all primes. Jones et al. (1976) proved that a given number k + 2 is prime if and only if the following system of 14 Diophantine equations has a solution in the natural numbers:

α0 = = 0
α1 = = 0
α2 = = 0
α3 = = 0
α4 = = 0
α5 = = 0
α6 = = 0
α7 = = 0
α8 = = 0
α9 = = 0
α10 = = 0
α11 = = 0
α12 = = 0
α13 = = 0

The 14 equations α0, …, α13 can be used to produce a prime-generating polynomial inequality in 26 variables:

i.e.:

is a polynomial inequality in 26 variables, and the set of prime numbers is identical to the set of positive values taken on by the left-hand side as the variables a, b, …, z range over the nonnegative integers.

A general theorem of Matiyasevich says that if a set is defined by a system of Diophantine equations, it can also be defined by a system of Diophantine equations in only 9 variables. Hence, there is a prime-generating polynomial as above with only 10 variables. However, its degree is large (in the order of 1045). On the other hand, there also exists such a set of equations of degree only 4, but in 58 variables.(Jones 1982)

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