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Is this Prime Sequence the longest?

Puzzling Asked on April 8, 2021

So you are interested in Prime Numbers and puzzles thereof. You saw the following on PSE and gave it a try and got it long after the correct answer was posted by @hexomino.

My Eight Cousins

But then you think that you could design another puzzle.

So you start with 2 prime numbers say A and B with B > A

Then you put another Prime C (C>B) in there.

Turns out B is the average of the three numbers! That is nice.

Then you put another Prime D (D>C) with them. You guessed it.

Now C is the average of A,B,C and D!

Then you put another Prime number E (E>D) with them.

Sure enough now D is the average of A,B,C,D and E!

Now you are excited. You think you have discovered something great. Shake up the Math world??

So you continue with another prime F>E. And yes same thing! E is the average of A to F.

You continue these steps until your bubble bursts when you get the number 5917. Oh no. It is not a Prime.

So you wonder. Is this the longest sequence you can do or is there a sequence longer than one you have discovered? How do you explain this anyway? Is there a math equation for this?

So how many total numbers were in this sequence?

3 Answers

The sequence you tried is

So how many total numbers were in this sequence?

is there a sequence longer than one you have discovered?

Is there a math equation for this?

Correct answer by arbitrahj on April 8, 2021

Partial answer, heuristic argument that it is plausible to get reasonably long sequences like this 10-prime example:

Answered by Paul Panzer on April 8, 2021

arbitrahj and Paul Panzer have already provided great analysis of this problem.

I would like to demonstrate that

Lemma

Theorem

Putting these together

Answered by hexomino on April 8, 2021

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