The enigma of prime numbers

Abstract

Prime numbers, regarded as the atoms of arithmetic, play an essential role in number theory. Being the keys that protect our electronic secrets on the Internet, they manifest a very mysterious behaviour. At the same time, the interest among students of Moldova in any form of mathematics is gradually decreasing and prime numbers are no longer considered as a domain of interest for the young generation. This article represents a detailed survey on prime numbers and aims to spark the interest in this area, by presenting numerous motivating factors that emphasize the necessity to further study these enigmatic numbers. Throughout this survey, the history, distribution and analysis of the patterns they form, as well as some real world applications of primes are considered.