Are There Really TWO New Mersenne Primes Bigger Than 10M Digits?

  • Thread starter CRGreathouse
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Primes
In summary, two new Mersenne primes, numbers that are one less than a power of two, were recently discovered with over 10 million digits each. These numbers were found using the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) project and have been confirmed by the official organization for the discovery of new primes. These discoveries represent a significant achievement in the field of mathematics and highlight the ongoing search for larger and more complex prime numbers.
  • #1
CRGreathouse
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
2,844
0
Amazing, but it seems true: http://mersenne.org/ is currently reporting the discoveries of the 45th and 46th known presumptive Mersenne primes.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Ooh so their going to get the EFF $100,000 reward. I wonder how they're going to split/spend it, as so many different peoples computers have been working on it, it probably won't be a popular decision of all the money goes to the one person whose computer happened to find it.
 
  • #3
Near-certain on the award of the $100,000, though it's possible that both are below 10M. The GIMPS rules say that if two are discovered at about the same time, the first person to send it to GIMPS (regardless of discovery order!) gets the prize money. I think the distribution is half for the person whose computer finds the prime, a fifth split between some recent discoverers, a bit to GIMPS for operating costs, and the balance to charity -- or something like that, anyway.

The primes should be announced by Monday.
 
  • #4


Yes, the announce is now available.
Two new Mersenne primes bigger than 10M digits.
Look at http://www.mersenne.org/" web-site and come contribute !
There is a lot of fun there !
Tony
 
Last edited by a moderator:

1. What are Mersenne primes?

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

2. How many Mersenne primes are currently known?

As of 2021, there are 51 known Mersenne primes. The largest known Mersenne prime has 24,862,048 digits and was discovered in 2018.

3. How are new Mersenne primes discovered?

Mersenne primes are typically discovered using computers and specialized software. The process involves checking if numbers of the form 2n - 1 are prime by using efficient algorithms such as the Lucas-Lehmer test.

4. What is the significance of discovering new Mersenne primes?

Discovering new Mersenne primes can help in advancing the field of mathematics and computer science. These numbers have important applications in number theory and cryptography, and their discovery can also lead to the development of more efficient algorithms and faster computing methods.

5. Who discovered the two new Mersenne primes?

The two new Mersenne primes, 282,589,933 - 1 and 224,862,048 - 1, were discovered by a collaborative effort of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) project. The first prime was discovered in December 2018 and the second in December 2019.

Similar threads

  • Linear and Abstract Algebra
Replies
15
Views
4K
  • General Math
Replies
9
Views
1K
Replies
4
Views
3K
Replies
17
Views
2K
  • General Math
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
30
Views
7K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
19
Views
5K
  • Beyond the Standard Models
Replies
18
Views
3K
  • Art, Music, History, and Linguistics
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics
Replies
9
Views
3K
Back
Top