Adding Prime Numbers
From MathsDept
Conference Centre Lecture Theatre, Room 423-342, 22 Symonds Street
- 5:15 pm. Drinks in the Conference Centre Foyer, 22 Symonds Street
- 6:00-7:00 pm Talk in Conference Centre Lecture Theatre, 22 Symonds Street
Abstract
Prime numbers are the building blocks of multiplication, so it may seem a bit weird to try and add them up.
Nevertheless some of the most famous problems in number theory concern the additive structure of the prime numbers: Goldbach's conjecture states that every even number is the sum of two primes, whilst the twin prime conjecture asserts that there are infinitely many pairs of primes that differ by two. In the lecture I will talk about how the quest for answers to questions of this type has led to deep mathematics, linking the study of the primes to several apparently unrelated parts of mathematics.
About the speaker
Ben Green is perhaps best known for his work with Terry Tao in proving the existence of arbitrarily long sequences of prime numbers in arithmetic progression. Professor Green the 2010 Forder Lecturer and - in this quality - he is touring New Zealand Mathematics Departments in September, giving a series of departmental colloquia and public lectures.
Parking
Parking is available at $5 per night at the Owen Glenn building in Grafton Rd very near the intersection with Symonds St (about a 3 minute walk from the Engineering building).
Ben Green
All welcome. The talk is aimed at a general audience
Free entry.
Department of Mathematics, University of Auckland
