An amateur mathematician and former Nvidia employee recently discovered the largest prime number known to date, surpassing the previous record by over 16 million digits. Prime numbers, which are only divisible by themselves and 1, are considered the building blocks of integers. The new prime number, 2^36,279,841 – 1, was found using the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) program and required the combined power of thousands of graphics processing units (GPUs) across multiple data centers worldwide.
The 41,024,320-digit prime number is the 52nd Mersenne prime ever discovered, named after French mathematician Marin Mersenne who developed a formula for finding these special numbers. While the practical applications of such large prime numbers are limited, they have historically played a crucial role in the development of cryptography algorithms. The discovery has earned the researcher a $3,000 cash prize from GIMPS, with larger rewards available for finding even larger primes in the future.
Luke Durant’s groundbreaking discovery marks a significant milestone in the world of mathematics and showcases the power of collaborative efforts in scientific research. As technology continues to advance, we can expect even more exciting discoveries in the field of number theory and prime numbers. Stay tuned for more updates on the latest developments in mathematics and beyond.