> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> > (Aside - we're rather more likely to find a 75-bit factor than a 75- > digit factor. In fact, finding a 75-digit prime factor of a > "no factors > known" Mersenne number with an exponent under 80 million would > be a significant achievement in itself. Finding a 75-digit prime and non-algebraic factor of any integer with more than, say, 200 digits would be a significant achievement. The record today is 55 digits; it reached 53 digits 3 years ago and only a handful of factors with 50 or more digits have been found ever. I have precisely one of them to my credit 8-) > At the moment, having found one factor, we quit. That's sufficient > effort for the purpose of trying to find Mersenne primes. A little > more work might break the cofactor down further. Actually, some of us don't quit. But we're a small bunch of weirdos, and we only work on tiny exponents anyway. Paul _________________________________________________________________________ Unsubscribe & list info -- http://www.ndatech.com/mersenne/signup.htm Mersenne Prime FAQ -- http://www.tasam.com/~lrwiman/FAQ-mers
