10 million digit prime contributing to the search?
Now that you asked, I have been pondering this point. The
payoff structure offered by the EFF has in some ways been
a hindrance to GIMPS as well as a motivator. It is aesthetically
unpleasing to have a big gap in the searched base, however,
the "leading edge" will eventually catch up. It should be a
straightforward task to estimate when that will be.
When the 10E7 Mersenne is found and the 100K EFF prize
is awarded, there is no reason to think some yahoos will
jump up and try for a 10E8, since it would take over a
century on a PII/400. Then, if a gap still exists, it would fill
in and those who were trying for the 10E7 will have contributed
just as much as anyone else.
On the other hand, the existence of the EFF prize is a useful
tool in convincing companies to run GIMPS, for most IT
managers are quick to remind you that this *is* a business,
and it is here to make money. (Then you hope that same
IT manager hasnt the sophistication to calculate the actual
odds of bagging the $100K, realizing that the mathematical
expectation of the prize would not pay the extra electricity
use...) spike
