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Theorem

Dirichlet's Theorem on Arithmetic Progressions

Number Theory

For any two coprime positive integers a and d, there are infinitely many primes of the form a plus n times d. Proved using analytic techniques involving what are now called Dirichlet L-functions, it was an early triumph of analytic number theory.

Facts
Statement
Dirichlet's theorem, also called the Dirichlet prime number theorem, states that for any two positive coprime integers a and d, there are infinitely many primes of the form a + nd, where n is also a positive integer. 1
Proof Year
1837 1
Classification
Statement Form
Existence Theorem 1
Connections

In Branch

Sources
1. Dirichlet's Theorem on Arithmetic Progressions (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • lead section, first paragraph
    Dirichlet's theorem, also called the Dirichlet prime number theorem, states that for any two positive coprime integers a and d, there are infinitely many primes of the form a + nd, where n is also a positive integer.
  • lead section, naming sentence
    The theorem is named after the German mathematician Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, who proved it in 1837.
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