Well, first, even if I were not the world’s worst procrastinator, I wouldn’t start offering any numbers within 100 at first. First I would offer all #'s starting with 101. Presumably people would want the most prominent numbers from an ordinal point of view, so the 101-199 set would get the most hits. Once I had it really going, I could then offer 2-97, but I maybe I would decide to hold off on 2-47, so the demand would build.
Of course, and it’s all hypothetical anyway, perhaps it would not end up developing the way I wanted it. Maybe I would have to start off with some 2 digit #'s to get the ball running.
Maybe limiting it to prime numbers (actually a set including 1, perhaps called non-composites) would be a mistake. People in general would not necessarily feel a special enchantment with primes, or non-composites. They might (overall) be confused by the concept, and it might leave them cold when explained to them.
So I’m thinking of offering ALL the non-negative integers, instead. It seems that there was a news story recently about license plate numbers in Delaware, and how trading particularly popular numbers for dough was a lot like stock trading. Only more profitable! And naturally, the proximate #'s (high among ordinals, low among cardinals) were in demand.
If I were to stick with the idea of “prime numbers” – again, actually non-composites, would you be surprised if I reserve 1 for myself?
So it would be:
Jack, Giles, 3, …
(For an explanation of why mathematicians today consider 1, a non-composite number, to be also not prime by modern definition, look up “Prime Pages” on the web.
The particular page from the FAQ you want is
The author starts out with a redundant reference to the modern definition of primes, but then explains why it made sense for mathematicians to exclude it.)
NUMERO UNO!
(Favorite number 11!)
Getting back to the subject of stars and personal names, wouldn’t it be easier to change your name to Betelgeuse or Epsilon Eridani or some such name?
The name is Centauri. Alpha Centauri.
Oddly enough, my PhD adviser had found the largest prime known at the time, which alas did not get named after him. He did show me an envelope from IBM issued with the prime (expressed in a way that would fit) embossed on it.
Your idea of selling naming rights to primes would be an interesting test of Mencken’s Principle. * If people buy stars, who knows, they might buy numbers.
- No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.