Prime numbers with a certain extremal type property

Abstract

Abstract The convex hull of the subgraph of the prime counting function x → π(x) is a convex set, bounded from above by a graph of some piecewise affine function x → (x). The vertices of this function form an infinite sequence of points (ek,π(ek))1∞ $({e_k},\pi ({e_k}))_1^\infty $ . The elements of the sequence (ek)1∞ shall be called the extremal prime numbers. In this paper we present some observations about the sequence (ek)1∞ and we formulate a number of questions inspired by the numerical data. We prove also two – it seems – interesting results. First states that if the Riemann Hypothesis is true, then ek+1ek=1 ${{{e_k} + 1} \over {{e_k}}} = 1$ . The second, also depending on Riemann Hypothesis, describes the order of magnitude of the differences between consecutive extremal prime numbers.