cp's OEIS Frontend

Numbers of the form p*q where p and q are primes, not necessarily distinct.

These numbers are sometimes called semiprimes or 2-almost primes.

Numbers n such that Omega(n) = 2 where Omega(n) = A001222(n) is the sum of the exponents in the prime decomposition of n.

Complement of A100959; A064911(a(n)) = 1. - Reinhard Zumkeller, Nov 22 2004

The graph of this sequence appears to be a straight line with slope 4. However, the asymptotic formula shows that the linearity is an illusion and in fact a(n)/n ~ log(n)/log(log(n)) goes to infinity. See also the graph of A066265 = number of semiprimes < 10^n.

For numbers between 33 and 15495, semiprimes are more plentiful than any other k-almost prime. See A125149.

Numbers that are divisible by exactly 2 prime powers (not including 1). - Jason Kimberley, Oct 02 2011

The (disjoint) union of A006881 and A001248. - Jason Kimberley, Nov 11 2015

An equivalent definition of this sequence is a'(n) = smallest composite number which is not divided by any smaller composite number a'(1),...,a'(n-1). - Meir-Simchah Panzer, Jun 22 2016

The above characterization can be simplified to "Composite numbers not divisible by a smaller term." This shows that this is the equivalent of primes computed via Eratosthenes's sieve, but starting with the set of composite numbers (i.e., complement of 1 union primes) instead of all positive integers > 1. It's easy to see that iterating the method (using Eratosthenes's sieve each time on the remaining numbers, complement of the previously computed set) yields numbers with bigomega = k for k = 0, 1, 2, 3, ..., i.e., {1}, A000040, this, A014612, etc. - M. F. Hasler, Apr 24 2019

For all n except n = 2, a(n) is a deficient number. - Amrit Awasthi, Sep 10 2024

It is reasonable to assume that the "comforting numbers" which John T. Williams found in Chapter 3 of Milne's book "The House at Pooh Corner" are these semiprimes. Winnie-the-Pooh wonders whether he has 14 or 15 honey pots and concludes: "It's sort of comforting." To arrange a semiprime number of honey pots in a rectangular way, let's say on a shelf, with the larger divisor parallel to the wall, there is only one solution and this is for a simple mind like Winnie-the-Pooh comforting. - Ruediger Jehn, Dec 12 2024

Largest nontrivial divisor of n-th semiprime. [Juri-Stepan Gerasimov, Apr 18 2010]

Greater of the prime factors of A001358(n). - Jianing Song, Aug 05 2022

Lesser of the prime factors of A001358(n). - Jianing Song, Aug 05 2022

From Antti Karttunen, Dec 17 2014, further edited Jan 01 & 04 2014: (Start)

Semiprimes p*q, p < q, such that the smallest r for which r^k <= p and q < r^(k+1) [for some k >= 0] is q+1, and thus k = 0. In other words, semiprimes whose both prime factors do not fit (simultaneously) between any two consecutive powers of any natural number r less than or equal to the larger prime factor. This condition forces the larger prime factor q to be greater than the square of the smaller prime factor because otherwise the opposite condition given in A251728 would hold.

Assuming that A054272(n), the number of primes in interval [prime(n), prime(n)^2], is nondecreasing (implied for example if Legendre's or Brocard's conjecture is true), these are also "unsettled" semiprimes that occur in a square array A083221 constructed from the sieve of Eratosthenes, "above the line A251719", meaning that if and only if row < A251719(col) then a semiprime occurring at A083221(row, col) is in this sequence, and conversely, all the semiprimes that occur at any position A083221(row, col) where row >= A251719(col) are in the complementary sequence A251728.

(End)

Semiprimes p*q, p < q, such that b = q+1 is the minimal base with the property that p and q have equal length representations in base b. This was the original definition, which is based primarily on A138510: A138510(A174956(a(n))) = A084127(A174956(a(n))) + 1.

Semiprimes p*q for which there exists r <= q such that r^k <= p <= q < r^(k+1), for some k >= 1, i.e., semiprimes whose both prime factors fit inside a semiopen range of two consecutive powers of some natural number r which itself is not greater than the larger prime factor. If such r exists, then it must be <= p (the smaller prime factor of n), which forces q to be less than p^2. On the other hand, when p <= q < p^2, then setting r = p and k = 1 satisfies the equation r^k <= p <= q < r^(k+1).

Assuming that A054272(n), the number of primes in interval [p(n), p(n)^2], is nondecreasing (implied for example if Legendre's or Brocard's conjecture is true), it follows that for any a(n), A003961(a(n)) is also in sequence. In other words, whenever prime(i)*prime(j) is in the sequence, then so is also prime(i+1)*prime(j+1).

From above would follow also that these are all the "settled semiprimes" that occur in a square array A083221 constructed from the sieve of Eratosthenes, from the level A251719 downward. Furthermore, this sequence would then be an infinite disjoint union of sequences of A003961-iterates starting from the initial values given in A251724.

See also the comments in the complementary sequence of semiprimes, A138511.

Composite numbers n with all prime factors greater than the cube root of n. - Doug Bell, Oct 27 2015

If "p <= q" in the definition were changed to "p < q" then the squares of primes (A001248) would be removed, yielding A138109. - Jon E. Schoenfield, Dec 27 2022

A138510(A174956(a(n))) <= 2. - Reinhard Zumkeller, Dec 19 2014

The "base-1" is here same as "unary base", where n is represented with digit "1" replicated n times. Thus if and only if n is in A000961 (is a power of prime), a(n) = 1. See A252375 for a more consistent treatment of those cases.