MASC 380 Assignment #7

Due 19 February, 1999.

Goldbach's Conjecture is the assertion that every even number greater than or equal to four can be written as the sum of two (not necessarily different) prime numbers. For example, 4=2+2, 6=3+3, 8=5+3, 10=7+3 (or 10=5+5), 12=7+5, and so on. It's a conjecture rather than a theorem because no one has succeeded in proving it. (Or at least hasn't published!)

1. Give a one-paragraph sketch of Goldbach's life and career. [3]

2. Write 65,794 as a sum of two primes. [1]

3. What results related to Goldbach's Conjecture have been proved? How close are they to the conjecture? [3]

4. Suppose that we knew Goldbach's Conjecture could not be proved. Would that mean it wasn't true? Explain! [3]


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