Millennium Problem | Riemann Hypothesis, Prime Numbers & Zeta Function (2024)

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Millennium Problem, any of seven mathematical problems designated such by the Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) of Cambridge, Mass., U.S., each of which has a million-dollar reward for its solution. CMI was founded in 1998 by American businessman Landon T. Clay “to increase and disseminate mathematical knowledge.” The seven problems, which were announced in 2000, are the Riemann hypothesis, P versus NP problem, Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, Hodge conjecture, Navier-Stokes equation, Yang-Mills theory, and Poincaré conjecture.

During 2002 and 2003 Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman published three papers over the Internet that gave a “sketchy” proof of the Poincaré conjecture. His basic proof was expanded by several mathematicians and universally accepted as valid by 2006. That year Perelman was awarded a Fields Medal, which he refused. Because Perelman published his papers over the Internet rather than in a peer-reviewed journal, as required by the CMI rules, he was not offered CMI’s award, though representatives for the organization indicated that they might relax their requirements in his case. Complicating any such decision was uncertainty over whether Perelman would accept the money; he publicly stated that he would not decide until the award was offered to him. In 2010 CMI offered Perelman the reward for proving the Poincaré conjecture, and Perelman refused the money.

Millennium Problem | Riemann Hypothesis, Prime Numbers & Zeta Function (1)

Britannica Quiz

Numbers and Mathematics

William L. Hosch

Millennium Problem | Riemann Hypothesis, Prime Numbers & Zeta Function (2024)

FAQs

What is the relationship between the zeta function and the prime numbers? ›

Knowing that the zeta function converges when Re(s) > 1, we can rewrite it as an Euler Product. where the product runs over all prime numbers. This is the product expansion of ζ(s), which is known as the Euler Product.

Have any of the Millennium problems been solved? ›

To date, the only Millennium Prize problem to have been solved is the Poincaré conjecture.

What are the 7 hardest math problems? ›

Contents
  • 1 The Riemann Hypothesis. 1.1 Clay description.
  • 2 The Yang-Mills Equations.
  • 3 The P vs. NP Problem. 3.1 Clay description.
  • 4 The Navier–Stokes equations. 4.1 Clay description.
  • 5 The Hodge Conjecture.
  • 6 The Poincaré Conjecture. 6.1 Clay description.
  • 7 Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture.

What is the Riemann hypothesis of the zeta function? ›

In mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis is the conjecture that the Riemann zeta function has its zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers with real part 12. Many consider it to be the most important unsolved problem in pure mathematics.

What is the purpose of the zeta function? ›

The Riemann zeta function plays a pivotal role in analytic number theory, and has applications in physics, probability theory, and applied statistics. Leonhard Euler first introduced and studied the function over the reals in the first half of the eighteenth century.

What is the relationship between the Riemann hypothesis and the prime numbers? ›

The Riemann hypothesis, formulated by Bernhard Riemann in an 1859 paper, is in some sense a strengthening of the prime number theorem. Whereas the prime number theorem gives an estimate of the number of primes below n for any n, the Riemann hypothesis bounds the error in that estimate: At worst, it grows like √n log n.

What are the 7 unsolved equations? ›

Clay “to increase and disseminate mathematical knowledge.” The seven problems, which were announced in 2000, are the Riemann hypothesis, P versus NP problem, Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, Hodge conjecture, Navier-Stokes equation, Yang-Mills theory, and Poincaré conjecture.

What is the hardest math theory? ›

The Riemann Hypothesis is a mathematical conjecture proposed by the German mathematician Bernhard Riemann in 1859 that has puzzled mathematicians for over 150 years. It states that every nontrivial zero of the Riemann zeta function has a real part of ½.

What is the hardest equation in the world? ›

It's called a Diophantine Equation, and it's sometimes known as the “summing of three cubes”: Find x, y, and z such that x³+y³+z³=k, for each k from one to 100.

What is a zeta zero? ›

For positive k, ZetaZero[k] represents the zero of on the critical line that has the k. smallest positive imaginary part. For negative k, ZetaZero[k] represents zeros with progressively larger negative imaginary parts.

What is Grigori Perelman's IQ? ›

Top 10 highest IQ. Grigori Perelman. As mentioned, the most recent title of the highest IQ—238—goes to this incredible mathematician. His greatest academic contribution to date is Thurston's Geometrization Conjecture: the solution to the famously challenging mathematical hypothesis, the Poincaré Conjecture.

What is the most confusing math problem ever? ›

The Riemann Hypothesis holds one of the seven unsolved problems known as the Millennium Prize Problems, each carrying a million-dollar prize for a correct solution. Its inclusion in this prestigious list further emphasizes its status as an unparalleled mathematical challenge.

What does ζ mean in math? ›

Riemann zeta function, function useful in number theory for investigating properties of prime numbers. Written as ζ(x), it was originally defined as the infinite series ζ(x) = 1 + 2x + 3x + 4x + ⋯. When x = 1, this series is called the harmonic series, which increases without bound—i.e., its sum is infinite.

Are there infinite prime numbers? ›

In either case, for every positive integer n, there is at least one prime bigger than n. The conclusion is that the number of primes is infinite.

How is the zeta function related to prime numbers? ›

The expression states that the sum of the zeta function is equal to the product of the reciprocal of one minus the reciprocal of primes to the power s. This astonishing connection laid the foundation for modern prime number theory, which from this point on used the zeta function ζ(s) as a way of studying primes.

What is the relationship between prime numbers? ›

Properties of Prime Numbers

Every even positive integer greater than 2 can be expressed as the sum of two primes. Except 2, all other prime numbers are odd. In other words, we can say that 2 is the only even prime number. Two prime numbers are always coprime to each other.

What is the relationship between factorial and prime? ›

A factorial prime is a prime number that is one less or one more than a factorial (all factorials greater than 1 are even). The first 10 factorial primes (for n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14) are (sequence A088054 in the OEIS): 2 (0! + 1 or 1!

What is the relationship between the Totient function and the prime factors of an integer? ›

Euler's totient function

This function has the following properties: If p is prime, then φ § = p – 1 and φ (pa) = p a * (1 – 1/p) for any a. If m and n are coprime, then φ (m * n) = φ (m) * φ (n). For example, to find φ(616) we need to factorize the argument: 616 = 23 * 7 * 11.

What is the relationship between prime numbers and cryptography? ›

Prime numbers are fundamental to the field of cryptography due to their unique mathematical properties, which provide a foundation for creating secure cryptographic algorithms.

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