On Sun, 1 Dec 1996 14:10:13 -0500, Scottauge@aol.com wrote: A mercenne number is of the type: M(p) = 2**p -1 results in a prime when p is a prime. *Occasionally* results in a prime when p is prime. (A Mersenne number is any number of that form, prime or composite. It so happens that if M(p) is prime, p is prime) Hopefully this will lead the way to see the pattern of prime numbers and being able to compute prime numbers in a far more efficient manner (after all a function that when given a prime number results in a prime number would be quite a kicker now wouldn't it!) That's easy: f(x) = x The other Mersenne primes include: 2,3,5,7,13,17,19,31,127,61,89, and 107. 2, 5, 13, 17, 19, 61, 89 and 107 are not Mersenne numbers :-| The first few Mersenne primes are: 3, 7, 31, 127, 8191, 131071, 524287, 2147483647 -- Paul Foley <mycroft@actrix.gen.nz> --- PGPmail preferred PGP key ID 0x1CA3386D available from keyservers fingerprint = 4A 76 83 D8 99 BC ED 33 C5 02 81 C9 BF 7A 91 E8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If God had wanted you to go around nude, He would have given you bigger hands.