Jan 11, 2018
For as long as I can remember, the first thing I consciously do when I see any number is try and mentally factorise that number.
I then get genuinely different emotional responses from my brain depending on whether or not I work out if it’s prime (excessively hard to do quickly for larger nunbers):
If it’s a composite number I am left disappointed, and
If it turns out to be prime(!!!) it’s almost a childishly giddy, embarrassingly happy response!
I think it just reflects a childhood interest I’ve had in maths and in particular the primes, that they seem to genuinely make me happy when I see one again.
I can only hope I am not alone in that regard I suppose :)
