[Math] Whether any even number can be written as sum of odd no of primes

number theoryprime numbers

Whether any even number can be written as sum of odd number of primes?(3,5,7.. primes) I know that Goldbach's conjecture state that a even number can be written as sum of two primes.

D=A+B+C+…+n such that where no of elements in the equation is a odd number and where A,B,C are prime numbers and D is even number

whether the above one is true?

Best Answer

All positive integers except $1$ and $4$ can be written as the sum of an odd number of primes.

$6=2+2+2$ can be written as the sum of an odd number of primes.

$7=2+2+3$ can be written as the sum of an odd number of primes.

$8=2+3+3$ can be written as the sum of an odd number of primes.

$9=3+3+3$ can be written as the sum of an odd number of primes.

By adding an even number of $2$s to these, any larger number can be written as the sum of an odd number of primes.

Looking at smaller numbers, $2$, $3$ and $5$ are equal to themselves and so are equal to the sum of an odd number of primes, since one is odd, while $1$ and $4$ cannot be written as the sum of an odd number of primes.