To be sure, nine, along with three and seven, are great favorites of European folklore. No one knows for sure why just those numerals achieved such prominence. The reference to the fact that all of them are primes does not go far. 

So says Анато́лий Си́монович Либерма́н.

I am shocked, shocked that Dr. Liberman of all people—and as published by the Oxford University Press of all publishers—would make such a mistake.

Maybe “prime” means something different in Russian. 🙀

What is this world coming to?

Categories: Math