28-June-2009, 06:32 PM
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Order of Kilopi
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Bowie, MD
Posts: 3,654
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Prime numbers are the smallest set from which all positive integers can be generated by multiplication.
That's about as simple as the definition can be made--and including 1 makes it more complicated, requiring a "and also 1" or something similar.
Before anybody makes this mistake--1 is generated by multiplication. An empty product is by definition, 1.
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Todd (Bowie, MD, US, North America, Earth, Sol System, Vega region, Local Bubble, Orion arm, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Virgo A Cluster, Virgo supercluster, the universe in which spock is clean shaven)
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
personal page: http://blog.astrosketches.info
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