The Largest Prime Number to date known
 

2^859433-1 (258716 decimal digits) =

http://fnordfiles.rtfm.com.au/texts/PRIME1.TXT

I think it's long to post here ^_^

Famine, disease and war still ravage the world but at least we know a prime number of 258716 digits. heehee. I LIKE it.

Uber-geeks must have their hobbies too.

Could someone try to divide that by 3 and verify it for me? It looks oddly like 3 would work here :)

Wait wait wait. So when would this information, if ever, come in handy?

When they figure out Pi, I'll rejoice.
'Til then, nnnno!

According to Mathematica 5.0, which I just used to divide by 3, it is not divisible by 3, tj2001cobra.

id say thats a big waste of time but watver....

All you naysayers will eat your words one day :D

The #1 application for prime numbers: Cryptography.
Algorithms like RSA depend on having a nice supply of large primes. I am sure the US government is watching these developments VERY closely.

There is no denying it - that number is seriously badass. I am such a freakin' nerd too - no denying that either!

It is true that prime numbers play an important role in modern cryptography. It is also true that this particular prime number is somewhat akin to a 100 million megaton bomb as far as practical cryptography is concerned.

"So, it starts with a one and ends with a one, there's a seven in the middle and..."

Nope, I'm sorry but I'm just having a whole heap of trouble writing a Sesame Street song about this number. Ah well, back to the Pi fanfare for trumpet and horn.

omg

nerd

thats all i am saying

If you scroll down at just the right speed there's a face of a clown laughing at you.

That's seriously so badass.... but still no cure for cancer ;)

50 years tops. Like empu hinted at primes are very important for cryptography. There was a time when no one could fathom the idea of computers that people would have in there own homes too.

listing large primes is not the megaton bomb for that sort of cryptography. it's fast methods of factoring that will be the end of it.

I hope you are joking, because I was DEFINITELY joking ;)

I don't know who the clown is that came up with this number, but he posted my PHONE NUMBER in the middle of it! Very funny, tough guy. Wait until I figure out your phone number and post it on the bathroom wall. Then you'll realize that really large prime numbers are NOT to be used for prank purposes. They're for learning. And for getting girls.

Dammit, I just got removed off the telemarketers list...now this? Now everybody's gonna be calling me. What a shit move. Geeks can be so mean.

Heh, I couldn't tell if you were joking, so I popped open Mathematica, did the basic computation (the 2^whatever -1) and then divided by 3. It took all of 10 seconds. :D

That's one big number, but it's nothing compared to all the other infinite prime numbers out there...