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New Mersenne Prime discovered (probably)

(www.mersenne.org)
359 points sdsykes | 3 comments | 16 Oct 24 11:51 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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dataflow ◴[19 Oct 24 05:04 UTC] No.41885759[source]▶
Given this contest can presumably go on infinitely long, what is the ultimate point of the contest? Is there some kind of theoretical or practical benefit to discovering a new Mersenne prime?
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Jerrrrrrry ◴[19 Oct 24 06:59 UTC] No.41886159[source]▶

  >presumably go on infinitely long
prove it
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1. dataflow ◴[19 Oct 24 16:42 UTC] No.41888850[source]▶
I didn't claim there are an infinite number of Mersenne primes. I said the contest could presumably go on infinitely long. The latter doesn't require the former. It's only predicated on us lacking proofs about how many there must be.
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2. Jerrrrrrry ◴[19 Oct 24 19:17 UTC] No.41889968[source]▶

  >I didn't claim there are an infinite number of Mersenne primes.
I didn't claim that you did, only that the contest...

you actually almost got me :)

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3. dataflow ◴[19 Oct 24 20:28 UTC] No.41890539[source]▶
I mean, that's what I took from your comment here, quoting my "presumably": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41888609