At 12:59 AM 10/17/98 -0400, 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^n-1 is 1 mod 2, therefore 2 is never a factor of 2^n-1. If 2^n-1 is composite, none of its composite factors can have 2 as a factor either. Another way to get there: Even * Any_Integer = Even, and Odd * Odd = Odd (note that this covers all cases). Since 2^n-1 is odd, all of its factors must be odd, and all of its factors' factors, ... However, personally, I think George's ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) answer was more interesting!! -Shaun mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Quantum Mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of
