At 12:59 AM 10/17/98 EDT, Foghorn Leghorn wrote:
>Second, I see that there are now some composite exponents in the ECM
>factoring page. Why are none of them even? Is there a technical reason
>that makes them less interesting?
Yes. 2^2n-1 = (2^n-1)*(2^n+1)
Thus, the Cunningham tables only keep track of the smaller values.
However, prime95 can be used on even exponents. If both 2^n-1 and 2^n+1
have not been fully factored then you can modify your lowm.txt file
and try factoring 2^2n-1. If one of the two smaller values has been factored,
then you are better off factoring either 2^n-1 or waiting for an upgrade
that can factor numbers of the form 2^n+1.
Best regards,
George
