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StuartBruff23-Emerald V
23-Emerald V
June 7, 2016
Question

Programming Challenge - Most Prime Mathematician!

  • June 7, 2016
  • 16 replies
  • 5050 views

Following on from Valery's observation on Pushkin in one of the Euler Problems (Re: Programming Challenge - Project Euler - Problem 10), I wondered which mathematician (whatever) lived through the greatest number of prime years, and this suggested an immediate challenge.  

To keep it simple, we'll take account of the well known fact that in every year since 0 AD (0 CE), at least one mathematician has been born who lived to be 100 years old.   What year was the mathematician born who lived through the greatest number of prime numbered years?

In the event of more than one birth year resulting in the same maximum number of prime years, what year was the first year such a mathematician could have been born in, and what year was the last possible year.

In the first instance, you can include any (future) mathematicians born no later than this year (2016).

You may assume in the second instance that the end date for the challenge is this year (2016), so any mathematician born this year cannot have lived through any primes.

Stuart

16 replies

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ValeryOchkov24-Ruby IV
24-Ruby IV
June 7, 2016

V
ValeryOchkov24-Ruby IV
24-Ruby IV
June 7, 2016

V
ValeryOchkov24-Ruby IV
24-Ruby IV
June 7, 2016

M
MJG1-Visitor
1-Visitor
June 7, 2016

Given the higher density of prime years in the first century compared to other centuries, I would assume that the solution to your question would be someone who lived from year 2 to year 102.  Year 3 to 103 would have an equal number of primes.

V
ValeryOchkov24-Ruby IV
24-Ruby IV
June 7, 2016

Modern mathematics wear pants of this  fabric:

    W
    Werner_E25-Diamond I
    25-Diamond I
    June 7, 2016

    Mark is right of course.

    Mathematicians born in the years 1, 2 or 3 (assuming the get 100 years old) have lived in 26 Prime years which is the maximum to achieve.

    Maybe its better to ask for the minimum number. The solution is unique -> Year 1322 with just 7  Prime years in the following 100 years.

    Additional challenge: What is the first year with 0 Prime years within the next 100 years?

    (Hint: Its a 6-digit number !)

    Werner

    V
    ValeryOchkov24-Ruby IV
    24-Ruby IV
    June 8, 2016

    Werner Exinger написал(а):

    Maybe its better to ask for the minimum number?

    W
    Werner_E25-Diamond I
    25-Diamond I
    June 8, 2016

    Valery Ochkov wrote:

    Werner Exinger написал(а):

    Maybe its better to ask for the minimum number?

    You are solving a different puzzle. You misunderstood Stuarts challenge! We are only dealing in this thread with people who got exactly 100 years old and are assuming that at least one such person is born in every year! Thats the challenge.

    Read again Stuarts initial post, it says:

    "To keep it simple, we'll take account of the well known fact that in every year since 0 AD (0 CE), at least one mathematician has been born who lived to be 100 years old.   What year was the mathematician born who lived through the greatest number of prime numbered years?"

    W
    Werner_E25-Diamond I
    25-Diamond I
    June 7, 2016

    Here is a functional/"programmed" approach (still using Stuarts primes(n) to precalculate a list of primes)

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