Bug #1243: 1 is prime

• Status: Closed
• Assignee: yugui (Yuki Sonoda)
• Target version: 1.9.2
• ruby -v: ruby 1.9.1p0 (2009-02-22 revision 22551) [i386-darwin9.6.0]

[yugui (Yuki Sonoda)]

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Prime.prime? always returns true for n < 2
=end

[yugui (Yuki Sonoda)]

• Status changed from Open to Closed
• % Done changed from 0 to 100

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Applied in changeset r22741.
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[headius (Charles Nutter)]

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The number 1 is not considered prime:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_number#Primality_of_one
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[daz (Dave B)]

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• value = -value if value < 0 <--- NOT required ?
• return false if value < 2

I think your negative guard is not required?

All negatives, 0 and 1 are non-prime, therefore all < 2 are non-prime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_number

daz

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[yugui (Yuki Sonoda)]

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On 3/4/09 1:40 AM, Dave B wrote:

• value = -value if value < 0 <--- NOT required ?
• return false if value < 2

I think your negative guard is not required?

For a arbitrary positive prime number p, -p is a prime element in the
ring of integers. On the other hand, it is sure that just saying "prime
numbers" means positive ones.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_number)

Without further specification, however, “prime number” always means a
positive integer prime

I am at a loss whether -2.prime? should return true or false? Which is
more useful for Rubyists?

--
Yugui [e-mail]
http://yugui.jp

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[yugui (Yuki Sonoda)]

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On 3/4/09 1:29 AM, Charles Nutter wrote:

The number 1 is not considered prime:

Sorry, I wanted to mean that the implementation of Prime regarded 1 as a
prime.

--
Yugui [e-mail]
http://yugui.jp

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[daz (Dave B)]

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Ring theory defines "prime element" as a special case.
Someone else might request adding a "prime_element?" or "ring_prime?" method, later.
Maybe they could use ( -7.abs.prime? ) for their specific application.

The ordinary definition of prime must return false for ( -2.prime? )
A (true) result for ( -2.prime? ) or any other negative numbers is wrong,
regardless of how useful it would be to Rubyists. ;))

daz

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[RobertDober (Robert Dober)]

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On Wed, Mar 4, 2009 at 9:15 AM, Yugui (Yuki Sonoda) [e-mail] wrote:

On 3/4/09 1:40 AM, Dave B wrote:

•    value = -value if value < 0  <--- NOT required ?
•    return false if value < 2

I think your negative guard is not required?

For a arbitrary positive prime number p, -p is a prime element in the
ring of integers. On the other hand, it is sure that just saying "prime
numbers" means positive ones.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_number)

Without further specification, however, “prime number” always means a
positive integer prime

I am at a loss whether -2.prime? should return true or false?  Which is
more useful for Rubyists?

IIRC 1 was discarded as prime because it messed up the uniqueness of
factorization. If we want to keep this spirit I see no solution for
negative numbers.
One could maybe define that all negative numbers are composed with the
exception of -1, which is prime ARRRGH and the additional rule that -1
can only occur ? times (in the regexp sense of ? ) in a factorization.
But maybe it makes more sense to say x.prime? if and only if x.abs.prime?
and
for all x: x.primefactors.count{ | f| f.negative? } < 2

I guess these are lousy ideas, does anyone have something better to suggest?

Cheers
Robert

--
Yugui [e-mail]
http://yugui.jp

--
There are some people who begin the Zoo at the beginning, called
WAYIN, and walk as quickly as they can past every cage until they get
to the one called WAYOUT, but the nicest people go straight to the
animal they love the most, and stay there. ~ A.A. Milne (from
Winnie-the-Pooh)

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[RobertDober (Robert Dober)]

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On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 8:42 PM, Jacob Fugal [e-mail] wrote:

I have a hard time imagining a situation where asking if a negative
number is prime would be necessary. Code the cares about prime numbers
almost by design implies that it expects positive integers. In that
mindset, I call YAGNI.

There is no compelling argument (to me) to have the Ruby standard
library definition of prime be inconsistent with the mathematical
definition. A prime number -- not a prime factor or a prime element of
the ring of integers or a prime element of any other arbitrary ring --
is a natural number (that is, a positive -- or non-negative, it
doesn't matter here -- integer) which has exactly two distinct natural
number divisors: 1 and itself. 1 is not prime and negative integers
are not prime. Rationals or Floats not coinciding with an integer are
not prime. That should be the definition of "prime?".

In the rare case where someone does need to check if the absolute
value of a negative integer x is prime, x.abs.prime? is not a horrible
burden, and it reveals the intent that negative numbers are acceptable
input to boot.

Jacob Fugal

I tend to agree, I was taken away by the "challenge" to find a
meaningful definition for primes < 0. And when I failed to do so I
asked for help, stupid somehow, is it not, LOL.

Cheers
Robert

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