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arXiv · 2508.08335

Conjectures about Primes and Cyclic Numbers

Abstract

A positive integer $n$ is defined to be cyclic if and only if every group of size $n$ is cyclic. Equivalently, $n$ is cyclic if and only if $n$ is relatively prime to the number of positive integers less than $n$ that are relatively prime to $n$. Because every prime number is cyclic, it is natural to ask whether a (proved or conjectured) property of primes extends to cyclic numbers. I review proved or conjectured properties of primes (including some new conjectures about primes) and propose analogous conjectures about cyclic numbers. Using the 28,488,167 cyclic numbers less than $10^8$, I test the conjectures about cyclic numbers and disprove the cyclic analog of the second conjecture about primes of Hardy and Littlewood. Proofs or disproofs of the remaining conjectures are invited.

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BibTeXRIS

Joel E. Cohen. 2025-08-10. Conjectures about Primes and Cyclic Numbers. https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.08335

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