Did you know that 8,675,309 is a prime number?

[eyesroll]

I found that out today.

Now, I like nerd trivia as much as the next person....but you all should know by now exactly what finding that out did to me.

:grr:

[matcom]

1. did you know Jenny was a prime babe?

:D

[LWolf]

2. That would be a fun one to toss out today.

"Is 8,675,309 a prime number? Provide evidence to support your answer.

Friday math quiz.

:evilgrin:

For my 5th graders.

:evilgrin::evilgrin:

[Donkeyboy75]

3. Heeeeeey, Macarena!

[Donkeyboy75]

4. Also, just the 2 of us, we can make it if we try...

2 is also a prime number. :evilgrin:

[eyesroll]

9. Oy, now you're in on the conspiracy, too...

It's now at least a tri-national crusade to drive me insane.

[stellanoir]

5. Shoot,

about a year and a half ago, the largest prime number ever was posted on the web. But damn, I didn't bookmark it. I started to print it for my son but it was well over twenty pages long. Did anybody else see this or know if it was true. . .?

Sorry for the tease but I'll see if I can find it again.

[StopTheMorans]

7. you mean this number?

97,942,759,283,907,371 :evilgrin:

[Xipe Totec]

10. I'm double checking it for accuracy

I'll send it to you when I'm done.

Oh, and if the prophet Elijah calls, tell him I'm busy and have him come back later.

:evilgrin:

[Squeech]

17. Do a search on "perfect numbers"

Perfect numbers are numbers that when you add up all their possible divisors, including 1 but not including themselves, you get the same number.

6 is the first example. You can factor it as 1 * 6 or as 2 * 3. Leave out the 6, and 1 + 2 + 3 = 6.

The next example is 28, then (I think) 496.

It turns out that the only perfect numbers known to exist can be expressed by the formula (2 ^ (n - 1)) * ((2 ^ n) - 1), and then only if 2 ^ (n - 1) is a prime number. (Numbers of that form are called Mersenne numbers, if I remember right.) So Mersenne numbers are always being tested to see if they're prime. I think they found the 24th such number a year or so ago.

There's a more practical reason to search for prime numbers, which is cryptography. I don't remember how, but the PGP encryption method requires large numbers with two and only two prime factors. So the vendors of encryption systems are always looking for primes-- but the nature of their business is such that, when they find some, they certainly won't tell us about it :-)

[GOPFighter]

6. Hell, I thought everyone knew that!

:evilgrin:

[sundog]

8. you dork

:P

[Guaranteed]

11. Alright then, smart guy.

What's the next one? :P

[eyesroll]

12. I do not know the next prime number.

The next numberworm, though, will be 5,882,300 -- but it'll be worse for people who live or have lived in the Chicago area than for the rest of you.

[Donkeyboy75]

13. Not as bad as 773-202-LUNA, IMHO. Do you get that up there?

[eyesroll]

14. No -- is that recent?

I haven't had Chicago-area TV since 1998.

[Donkeyboy75]

15. I think it is.

Just imagine the tune to "Luca," and put numbers in it.

[Donkeyboy75]

16. Well, not really.

But I figured I'd toss another earworm your way... :P

[stellanoir]

18. here's a site

with more recent findings than the one I mentioned earlier. . .

http://www.mersenne.org/prime.htm