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

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter CRGreathouse
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Primes
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the recent discoveries of two new Mersenne primes, specifically focusing on their digit count exceeding 10 million digits and the implications for the associated reward from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The conversation touches on the discovery process, the distribution of the reward, and the community's involvement in the search for Mersenne primes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express excitement about the reported discoveries of the 45th and 46th known presumptive Mersenne primes.
  • There is speculation about how the $100,000 reward from the EFF will be divided among contributors, given the collaborative nature of the discovery process.
  • One participant notes that while the award is near-certain, there is a possibility that both primes could be below 10 million digits, which raises questions about the validity of the claims.
  • Another participant confirms the announcement of the two new Mersenne primes being larger than 10 million digits and encourages community involvement.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the excitement surrounding the discoveries and the reward, but there is uncertainty regarding the exact digit count of the primes and how the reward will be allocated. Multiple competing views remain regarding the implications of the discoveries.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the rules governing the reward distribution and the criteria for confirming the digit count of the primes, which remain unresolved.

CRGreathouse
Science Advisor
Homework Helper
Messages
2,832
Reaction score
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
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.
 
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.
 


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:

Similar threads

Graduate M43: GIMPS project has found a new Mersenne prime
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
5K
Undergrad How Did GIMPS Discover the New Largest Prime Number in 2016?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
High School Two interesting number theory tricks
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Graduate Lucas-Lehmer Test for Mersenne Primes
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
4K
High School Is Pluto Really Bigger Than Eris? New Horizons Settles the Debate.
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Schools What are my chances of getting into physics graduate school with a 3.00 GPA?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
4K
Undergrad How Big of an Object Orbiting Closer to the Sun Than Earth Could Be Overlooked?
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
4K
April Fool's Physics Papers 2026
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
438
Undergrad What false hints of new physics were most notable?
  • · Replies 30 ·
2
Replies
30
Views
9K
Undergrad Progress In Calculating The HLbL Contribution To Muon g-2
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
3K