In
number theory
Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic functions. Number theorists study prime numbers as well as the properties of mathematical objects constructed from integers (for example ...
, the first Hardy–Littlewood conjecture states the asymptotic formula for the number of
prime ''k''-tuples less than a given magnitude by generalizing the
prime number theorem
In mathematics, the prime number theorem (PNT) describes the asymptotic analysis, asymptotic distribution of the prime numbers among the positive integers. It formalizes the intuitive idea that primes become less common as they become larger by p ...
. It was first proposed by
G. H. Hardy
Godfrey Harold Hardy (7 February 1877 – 1 December 1947) was an English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis. In biology, he is known for the Hardy–Weinberg principle, a basic principle of pop ...
and
John Edensor Littlewood
John Edensor Littlewood (9 June 1885 – 6 September 1977) was a British mathematician. He worked on topics relating to analysis, number theory, and differential equations and had lengthy collaborations with G. H. Hardy, Srinivasa Ramanu ...
in 1923.
[.]
Statement
Let
be positive even integers such that the numbers of the sequence
do not form a complete residue class with respect to any prime and let
denote the number of primes
less than
st.
are all prime. Then
:
where
:
is a product over odd primes and
denotes the number of distinct residues of
modulo
.
The case
and
is related to the
twin prime conjecture
A twin prime is a prime number that is either 2 less or 2 more than another prime number—for example, either member of the twin prime pair or In other words, a twin prime is a prime that has a prime gap of two. Sometimes the term ''twin prime'' ...
. Specifically if
denotes the number of twin primes less than ''n'' then
:
where
:
is the twin prime constant.
Skewes' number
The
Skewes' number
In number theory, Skewes's number is the smallest natural number x for which the prime-counting function \pi(x) exceeds the logarithmic integral function \operatorname(x). It is named for the South African mathematician Stanley Skewes who first ...
s for prime ''k''-tuples are an extension of the definition of Skewes' number to prime ''k''-tuples based on the first Hardy–Littlewood conjecture. The first prime ''p'' that violates the Hardy–Littlewood inequality for the ''k''-tuple ''P'', i.e., such that
:
(if such a prime exists) is the Skewes number for ''P''.
Consequences
The conjecture has been shown to be inconsistent with the
''second'' Hardy–Littlewood conjecture.
Generalizations
The
Bateman–Horn conjecture
In number theory, the Bateman–Horn conjecture is a statement concerning the frequency of prime numbers among the values of a system of polynomials, named after mathematicians Paul T. Bateman and Roger A. Horn who proposed it in 1962. It provide ...
generalizes the first Hardy–Littlewood conjecture to
polynomials
In mathematics, a polynomial is a mathematical expression consisting of indeterminates (also called variables) and coefficients, that involves only the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and exponentiation to nonnegative int ...
of degree higher than 1.
Notes
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Hardy-Littlewood conjecture
Conjectures about prime numbers