Prime numbers beckon to the beginner, the basic notion of primality being accessible to a child. Yet, some of the simplest questions about primes have stumped humankind for millennia. In this book, the authors concentrate on the computational aspects of prime numbers, such as recognizing primes and discovering the fundamental prime factors of a given number. Over 100 explicit algorithms cast in detailed pseudocode are included in the book. Applications and theoretical digressions serve to illuminate, justify, and underscore the practical power of these algorithms. The 2nd edition adds new material on primality and algorithms and updates all the numerical records, such as the largest prime, etc. It has been revised throughout.


From the reviews of the first edition:


…Prime Numbers is a welcome addition to the literature of number theory - comprehensive, up-to-date and written with style.


American Scientist





… Crandall and Pomerance have written a terrific book.


Bulletin of the AMS