HI PEOPLE!

So I was doing my usual surfing the internets via StumbleUpon and came across an R-Bloggers post about using R to determine the primality of any given number. The code for doing so is somewhat long and I’d like to take more time to study it and see if I could come up with my own code for determining primality, but today I was too excited to do so and instead wanted to focus on actually using the code instead.

Perhaps those readers who dig math have heard of the Ulam spiral, a method of visualizing the prime numbers in relation to the non-primes (I’m having flashback’s to NaNoWriMo 2009’s topic and therefore keep having to backspace to not capitalize “prime” and “non-prime,” haha). Developed by Stanislaw Ulam in 1963, the spiral shows a pattern indicating that certain quadratic polynomials tend to generate prime numbers. Check out the Wiki, it’s a super fascinating thing.

Anyway, ever since I’d heard of the Ulam spiral, I’ve always thought of other possible patterns or trends that may exist with respect to the primes. Could other possible patterns arise if we just “arrange” numbers in other ways? Ulam used a spiral. What other “shapes” might produce patterns?

Thus begins Part I of my mission to make pretty number patterns and see what happens! (Though I must admit that Part I is rather boring, as it just consists of me using the code on R-Bloggers).

Anyway, let’s organize this noise:

Part I: write a new function that applies R-Bloggers IsPrime() function to any given vector of numbers, say one that contains the numbers 1 through 100 (just as a start, obviously, we can extend this to much larger vectors because math rules and R is like a mental sex toy). Make sure this new function is able to output a binary response—a 0 for any non-prime and a 1 for any prime. This will allow for easy visualization once we get to that point.

Part II: Brainstorm possible pattern ideas for numbers. Figure out how in the hell to program R to output a number spiral, among other fun shapes. Use excel cells as a means by which to make the actual visualizations.

Part III: Try not to lose sanity while attempting to bend R’s base graphics to your will in order to plot said patterns without having to resort to Excel.

Part IV: Now that the work is done, actually take a step back and see if anything came of these fun experiments.

Part V: RED BULL!

Today was Part I, so I really don’t have anything special to show you guys. But next time will be fun, I promise!

30-Day Meme – Day 28: Say something to your 15 year old self.
Dear 15-Year-Old Claudia: your high school math teacher will be a jackass, but for the love of god, TAKE ALL THE MATH YOU CAN. You’ll love yourself later for it. Don’t be like the stupid 23-year-old version of yourself who quit after Algebra II (a class she totally rocked with a C-!). Tough it out, suffer through algebra, make it through trig, and ROCK OUT CALCULUS, YOU CAN SO TOTALLY DO CALCULUS. Then take all the math you can in college. You may not see it now (in fact you don’t, you see yourself right now as an artist with no need for college…this view won’t change until you’re like 19, by the way), but math and statistics are in your future. Remember back in elementary school when it was just you and two other super nerdy guys crammed in the janitor’s closet for the “advanced math” section? Remember that? Yeah, you know you can rock math. You just need to do it, yo. PRESS ON, WAYWARD HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN!  You may feel directionless now, but that will so totally change.
See you in a few years!