I'm also a big fine of using a single standard definition for apriori structures in formal logic. The semantics convolution caused by "individual" definitions in normal speech is bad enough. I'm sure some one has come up with a good name for the set of 1 and the primes, and such terminology should be used when appropriate or a simple definition of the new set given.
**************************** Greg Sonnenfeld "Junior programmers create simple solutions to simple problems. Senior programmers create complex solutions to complex problems. Great programmers find simple solutions to complex problems. The code written by topnotch programmers may appear obvious, once it is finished, but it is vastly more difficult to create." On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 4:08 PM, George Duncan <gtdun...@gmail.com> wrote: > Yes, it does depend on how you define prime BUT speaking as a > > mathematician > > it is good to have definitions for which we get interesting theorems, like > the unique (prime) factorization theorem that says every natural number has > unique prime factors, so 6 has just 2 and 3, NOT 2 and 3 or 2 and 3 and 1. > So we don't want 1 as a prime or the theorem doesn't work. > > statistician > > do a Bing or Google search on prime number and see what frequency of entries > define 1 as prime (I didn't find any). So from an empirical point of view > usage says 1 is not prime > > artist > > try Bing of Google images and see how many pretty pictures show 1 as prime. > I didn't see any. > > Cheers, Duncan > > On Sat, Dec 10, 2011 at 5:19 PM, Pamela McCorduck <pam...@well.com> wrote: >> >> I asked the in-house mathematician about this. When he began, "Well, it >> depends on how you define 'prime' . . ." I knew it was an ambiguous case. >> >> PMcC >> >> >> >> On Dec 10, 2011, at 5:12 PM, Marcos wrote: >> >>> On Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 2:17 AM, Russell Standish <r.stand...@unsw.edu.au> >>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Has one ever been prime? Never in my lifetime... >>> >>> >>> Primes start at 2 in my world. There was mathematician doing a talk >>> once, and before he started talking, he checked his microphone: >>> >>> "Testing...., testing, 2, 3, 5, 7" >>> >>> That's how I remember. >>> >>> Mark >>> >>> ============================================================ >>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >>> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >> >> >> >> ============================================================ >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > > > > > -- > George Duncan > georgeduncanart.com > (505) 983-6895 > Represented by ViVO Contemporary > 725 Canyon Road > Santa Fe, NM 87501 > > Life must be understood backwards; but... it must be lived forward. > Soren Kierkegaard > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
