Relate Mersenne Primes To Sq Triangular Nos.

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In summary, the 2^(p-1) th square triangular number is divisible by M_{p} if and only if M_{p} is prime.
  • #1
ramsey2879
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Conjecture, For p>2, the [tex]2^(p-1)[/tex] th square triangular number is divisible by [tex]M_{p}[/tex] if and only if [tex]M_{p}[/tex] is prime. I checked this for 2<p<27. For instance the first four square triangular numbers are 0,1,36 and 1225 and the fourth is divisible by .
PS In fact it appears that if is prime then for any starting integers [tex]S_{1}[/tex] and [tex]S_2[/tex] having the recursive relation ,
[tex]S_{n} = 6*S_{n-1} - S_{n-2}[/tex] the following congruence holds:
[tex]S_{2^{p-1}} = S_{1} \mod M_{p}. There is prize money lurking here for those who are interested.

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  • #2
Fancy explaining that a bit more clearly, like what you mean by a square triangular number?
 
  • #3
Looks like he means numbers that are simultaneously square numbers and triangular numbers. E.g. 36 = 6x6 = 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8
 
  • #4
Zurtex said:
Fancy explaining that a bit more clearly, like what you mean by a square triangular number?
The recursive relation for square triangular numbers is known to be [tex]S_0 = 0, S_1 = 1, S_{n} = 6*S_{n-1} - S_{n-2}[/tex]
[tex]T(m) = m(m+1)/2 = S_{n}*S_{n}[/tex]

Thus my conjecture about square triangular numbers is just a special case of my more general conjecture which is that for the same type of series with any two starting integers that if [tex]M_{p}[/tex] is a prime Mersenne number then [tex]S_{(1+i)} = S_{(2^{p-1}+i)} \mod M_{p}[/tex]. With [tex]S_{1} = 0, M_{p} = \mbox{prime}[/tex] then [tex]M_{p} \mid S_{2^{p-1}}[/tex] for any integer S_2.
 
Last edited:
  • #5
Zurtex said:
Fancy explaining that a bit more clearly, like what you mean by a square triangular number?
The recursive relation for square triangular numbers is known to be [tex]S_0 = 0, S_1 = 1, S_{n} = 6*S_{n-1} - S_{n-2}[/tex]
[tex]T(m) = m(m+1)/2 = S_{n}*S_{n}[/tex]

Thus my conjecture about square triangular numbers is just a special case of my more gemeral conjecture which is that for the same type of series with any two starting integers that if [tex]M_{p}=2^{p} - 1[/tex] is a prime Mersenne number then [tex]S_{(1+i)} = S_{(2^{p-1}+i)} \mod M_{p}[/tex]. With [tex]S_{1} = 0, M_{p} = \mbox{prime}[/tex] then [tex]M_{p} \mid S_{2^{p-1}}[/tex] for any integer S_2.
 
  • #6
ramsey2879 said:
The recursive relation for square triangular numbers is known to be [tex]S_0 = 0, S_1 = 1, S_{n} = 6*S_{n-1} - S_{n-2}[/tex]
[tex]T(m) = m(m+1)/2 = S_{n}*S_{n}[/tex]

Thus my conjecture about square triangular numbers is just a special case of my more gemeral conjecture which is that for the same type of series with any two starting integers that if [tex]M_{p}=2^{p} - 1[/tex] is a prime Mersenne number then [tex]S_{(1+i)} = S_{(2^{p-1}+i)} \mod M_{p}[/tex]. With [tex]S_{1} = 0, M_{p} = \mbox{prime}[/tex] then [tex]M_{p} \mid S_{2^{p-1}}[/tex] for any integer S_2.
After more consideration, I realized that it is not necessary to store more than one term and that my test can be refined so that there are only p-1 terms that need to be calculated.

Input p
M(p) = 2^p -1
S_0 = 1
C = p
Do
S_0 = (4*S_0)*(8*S_0 + 1) Mod M(p)
C = C - 1
Loop until C = 1
If S_0 = 1 Then
Print "M(" & p & ") is prime"
Else
Print "M(" & p & ") is not prime"
End If.

Although this test involves more steps, it basically involves almost the same complexity as the Lucus-Lehmer Test since the additional steps are register shifts and the addition of 1
It is based upon the fact that 1 is the 2nd square triangular number and that The S_0's follow the sequence ST(2),ST(3),ST(5),ST(9),ST(17)... i.e. ST(2^n+1) in the sequence of square triangular numbers (modulus M(p) of course). I checked the test for p = 3 to 28. It doesn't work for p = 2 since 3 is a factor of 6.

Any comments?
 
  • #7
I managed to write a basic program using true/false arrays with binary like addition subtraction and multiplication that checked all Mersenne numbers, [tex]2^{p} -1 \mid p = \mb{prime}[/tex] for primes from p = 3 up through p = 929 base upon the relation between Mersenne Primes and Square Triangular Numbers. I designed it to do primes up to p= 4999 without modification, but it takes something in the order of a 8 hour day to check up through p=929. I am not sure since I upgraded my program after the first 82 primes and it did the next 82 primes in about the same time, so I am only estimating that it would have taken less than 1/4 the time to check the first 82 primes.

My conjecture in the preceeding post still holds with the lone exception being 2^2 - 1 which I don't think affects my conjecture since 3 is a special case related to the recursive sequence S_n = 6*S_(n-1) - S_(n-2) for square triangular numbers.

It probably would be fruitless to explore my conjecture further in this mannor. A better approach is to find a proof. Any takers or suggestions.
 

1. What are Mersenne primes?

Mersenne primes are prime numbers that can be written in the form 2^n - 1, where n is also a prime number. They are named after the French mathematician Marin Mersenne who studied them extensively in the 17th century.

2. How are Mersenne primes related to square triangular numbers?

The formula for square triangular numbers is n(n+1)/2, where n is a positive integer. Interestingly, it has been proven that any Mersenne prime greater than 3 can be expressed as a square triangular number. This means that the prime number can be written as a perfect square multiplied by a positive integer, making it a special type of square triangular number.

3. What is the connection between Mersenne primes and perfect numbers?

Perfect numbers are positive integers that are equal to the sum of their proper divisors (factors other than the number itself). It has been proven that every even perfect number can be written in the form 2^(p-1)(2^p - 1), where p is a Mersenne prime. In fact, all known perfect numbers are of this form.

4. Are there an infinite number of Mersenne primes?

This is still an open question in mathematics. It has not been proven whether there are an infinite number of Mersenne primes or not. However, there are currently 51 known Mersenne primes, the largest of which has over 24 million digits.

5. Why are Mersenne primes important in mathematics?

Mersenne primes have been studied for centuries and have numerous applications in mathematics, particularly in number theory and cryptography. They also play a role in the search for large prime numbers and in the development of efficient algorithms for calculating primes. Additionally, they have connections to other important mathematical concepts such as perfect numbers and square triangular numbers.

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