To make progress on one of number theory’s most elementary questions, two mathematicians turned to an unlikely source.

Prime numbers are divisible only by 1 and themselves. They serve as the “atoms” of mathematics, capable of decomposing other numbers into factors (like 12 = 2 × 2 × 3). As numbers increase, ...

Det. Lewis Stinker: Number 2! It’s a Prime! It can only be divided by itself and 1. Number 3 a Prime! 4 – we already did! It had 2 as a Factor, so it’s a composite number with how many factors?