The Music of the Primes

Professor Marcus du Sautoy (University of Oxford)

2:00 pm. MSS Building, Room C019

Abstract

Prime numbers are the atoms of arithmetic - the hydrogen and oxygen of the world of numbers. Despite their fundamental importance to mathematics, they represent one of the most tantalising enigmas in the pursuit of human knowledge. In 1859, the German mathematician Bernhard Riemann put forward an idea - a hypothesis - that seemed to reveal a magical harmony at work in the numerical landscape. A million dollars now awaits the person who can unravel the mystery of the hidden music that might explain the cacophony of the primes.

Materials and further information

Pictures of the colloquium: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
Marcus du Sautoy's webpage (http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/~dusautoy/)
Citation for Marcus Peter Francis du Sautoy on the award of the Berwick Prize.
The website dedicated to The music of the primes.
Article from Faces of Mathematics.
The Indivisible Man, by Andrew Anthony Sunday August 3, 2003. The Observer.