Today, people use complex computing networks to search for prime numbers with millions of digits. But early mathematicians were running these calculations by hand.

Prime numbers are a central topic of study in math. Despite being an object of fascination for millennia, there are still a lot of unsolved problems involving primes. Prime numbers are one of the ...

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

Working on the centuries-old twin primes conjecture, two solitary researchers and a massive collaboration have made enormous advances over the last six months.

Math historian Peter S. Rudman suggests that Greek mathematicians were likely the first to understand the concept of prime numbers, around 500 B.C.E.

Zhang himself says that "something impressive" probably has no practical application, though prime numbers do extend beyond the realm of pure math into more real-world uses.

Jon Pace, a longtime FedEx employee, has loved math since high school. Then he discovered the world's largest prime.

Infographic: Visualizing Prime Numbers, For People Who Suck At Math Numbers hide complex relationships that are tough to imagine. So here’s a pretty picture that brings them to light.

Largest known prime number found The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search, a cooperative computing project, helps find a prime that has nearly 13 million digits.