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Is there any use to this knowledge? Does it tell us anything else other than for this specific problem? (Just curious)
by chid 13y ago
Is there any use to this knowledge? Does it tell us anything else other than for this specific problem? (Just curious)
- VargardObyron 13y agoWe are one step closer to immortality.
- cLeEOGPw 13y agoIf finding such a numbers is much more difficult than checking if a number satisfies the requirements then it could be used in cryptography as an alternative to finding prime numbers or generating hashes. Although I am not sure there are enough of these numbers for any arbitrary number of squares to make it practical.
- scottcanoni 13y agoGood question, and I am also curious. I don't see how this can be used for cryptography on a large scale or how it can help us in other ways. Take Fermat's Last Theorem for example... how has that been used to improve or change life?
- mathattack 13y agoThere can be very long periods where number theory advances are no more useful than say string theory or literary theory. Then every once in a while you hit something big. Much of encryption rests on what was formerly ivory tower papers on prime numbers. This isn't to increase or diminish the importance of the accomplishment. I actually don't know where this belongs in the annals of math.
- jackmaney 13y agohttp://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20070105 http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20070105