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http://news.yahoo.com/largest-prime-number-discovered-165757465.htmlThe largest prime number yet has been discovered — and it's 17,425,170 digits long. The new prime number crushes the last one discovered in 2008, which was a paltry 12,978,189 digits long.
The number — 2 raised to the 57,885,161 power minus 1 (257885161 -1) — was discovered by University of Central Missouri mathematician Curtis Cooper as part of a giant network of volunteer computers devoted to finding primes, . . . .
What would Cantor say?I vote for infinity -1 as the largest prime.
A prime number is a positive integer that is only divisible by 1 and itself. In other words, it has no other factors besides 1 and itself.
Scientists use advanced algorithms and computer programs to search for large prime numbers. These programs use mathematical techniques to identify patterns and properties of numbers that can help identify which ones are prime.
The discovery of large prime numbers is significant because they have practical applications in cryptography, coding theory, and other areas of mathematics and computer science. They also help us better understand the properties of numbers and their behavior.
The size of a prime number does not necessarily affect its significance. However, larger prime numbers can have more practical applications and can also provide insight into the complexity and behavior of numbers.
Currently, there is no known limit to how large a prime number can be. As technology and mathematical techniques continue to advance, larger and larger prime numbers are being discovered. However, it is believed that there is an infinite number of prime numbers, so there is no theoretical limit to their size.