Useful facts Indeed Finding A Mersenne Prime

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  • Thread starter Ilikebugs
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In summary, the conversation discusses finding a more efficient method than guess and check for determining if $2^{21609d}-1$ is a prime number. They conclude that $21609d$ must be of the form $4n+3$ and thus $d$ can only be 1 to avoid being divisible by 3 or 5.
  • #1
Ilikebugs
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View attachment 6518 Is there a better way than guess and check?
 

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  • #2
Re: Useful facts Indeed!

Ilikebugs said:
Is there a better way than guess and check?

Hi Ilikebugs!

If $2^{21609d}-1$ is a prime number, I think it can't be dividable by 7 or by 31.
In other words $21609d$ cannot be dividable by 3 or by 5.
As a first step, which options does that leave us? (Wondering)
 
  • #3
Re: Useful facts Indeed!

2,4,7 and 8
 
  • #4
Re: Useful facts Indeed!

Ilikebugs said:
2,4,7 and 8

Shouldn't that include 1?

Anyway, that leaves that:
$$2^{21609d} - 1 \bmod 10 = 7$$
Can we simplify that?
 
  • #5
Re: Useful facts Indeed!

2^21609d mod 10 - 1 mod 10=7? I don't know
 
Last edited:
  • #6
Re: Useful facts Indeed!

2^21609d-1 has a unit digit of 7 so 2^21609d has a unit digit of 8. thus 21609d is of the form 4n+3. Thus d is either 1 5 or 9 but if its 5 or 9 it would be divisible by 5 or 3. Thus d is 1
 
  • #7
Re: Useful facts Indeed!

Ilikebugs said:
2^21609d-1 has a unit digit of 7 so 2^21609d has a unit digit of 8. thus 21609d is of the form 4n+3. Thus d is either 1 5 or 9 but if its 5 or 9 it would be divisible by 5 or 3. Thus d is 1

Good! (Nod)
 

1. What is a Mersenne prime?

A Mersenne prime is a prime number that is one less than a power of two. In other words, it can be written in the form 2n - 1, where n is a positive integer.

2. How are Mersenne primes useful?

Mersenne primes have been used in various applications in mathematics and computer science, such as in the construction of efficient error-correcting codes and in the study of perfect numbers. They are also important in the field of cryptography.

3. How are Mersenne primes found?

Mersenne primes are found through a process called the Lucas-Lehmer test. This involves performing a series of calculations on a specific type of number known as a Mersenne number, until a specific condition is met. If the condition is met, then the corresponding Mersenne number is a Mersenne prime.

4. How many Mersenne primes are currently known?

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

5. Why are Mersenne primes important in the study of prime numbers?

Mersenne primes are important because they are relatively easy to identify and test for primality compared to other types of prime numbers. They also have many interesting properties and can provide insights into the distribution and behavior of prime numbers.

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