Why do prime numbers make these spirals? | Dirichlet’s theorem and pi approximations

Why HN readers recommended it

Frequently recommended as the clearest explanation of prime spirals and the Ulam spiral.

This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.

Video & recommendation details

Creator / channel

3Blue1Brown

Topic

prime number spirals

Format

explainer

Level

intermediate

HN recommenders in dataset

7

HN mentions in dataset

12

Recommendation years in dataset

2019–2024

These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.

From the original HN conversations

Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.

• Here is one of the most enlightening explanations for these kinds of spirals I have seen by 3blue1brown: [VIDEO] Note that the setup is slightly different,since in that video they plot numbers along their polar coordinates. The results are very similar, since both create spirals …

• The first time I saw these, I thought it hinted at some deep insight into the nature of primes. However, after watching the following video, I think it just says something about modular arithmetic and rational approximations of 2 Pi. [VIDEO] The video is only …

• In this vein, I really enjoyed 1brown3blue breaking down why prime numbers form patterns when graphed in polar coordinates. [VIDEO]