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Why You Should Be Excited About the New Record for the Largest Prime Number

mobile.slate.com

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Re: Why You Should Be Excited About the New Record for the Largest Prime Number

#3

Post by StavrosK »

Can someone summarize? All I got out of it is "you should be excited because, even though it's nearly insignificant, it's one more data point in some statistical distribution we're trying to sample more of".

I'm not sure how "it's not very exciting, but we're doing it for a greater, also-not-very-exciting purpose" should excite me.

Re: Why You Should Be Excited About the New Record for the Largest Prime Number

#4

Post by pbhjpbhj »

StavrosK wrote: post #3

Can someone summarize? All I got out of it is "you should be excited because, even though it's nearly insignificant, it's one more data point in some statistical distribution we're trying to sample more of". I'm not sure how "it's not very exciting, but we're doing it for a greater, also-not-very-exciting purpose" should excite me.

I think you're pretty close to it. The last line seems a reasonable summary though:

>"Just finding one large prime number is a fun puzzle to have solved, but it doesn't say anything basic about how the world works. The patterns behind the primes, however, both proven patterns and ones only suspected, are the lens through which humanity can apprehend deep and unfamiliar truths about how reality is structured." //

Re: Why You Should Be Excited About the New Record for the Largest Prime Number

#5

Post by StavrosK »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #4
StavrosK wrote: post #3

Can someone summarize? All I got out of it is "you should be excited because, even though it's nearly insignificant, it's one more data point in some statistical distribution we're trying to sample more of". I'm not sure how "it's not very exciting, but we're doing it for a greater, also-not-very-exciting purpose" should excite me.

I think you're pretty close to it. The last line seems a reasonable summary though: >" Just finding one large prime number is a fun puzzle to have solved, but it doesn't say anything basic about how the world works. The patterns behind the primes, however, both proven patterns and ones only suspected, are the lens through which humanity can apprehend deep and unfamiliar truths about how reality is structured. " //

Right, that was where I got my summary from too, I just wanted to know if I missed something and am being too critical. Thanks for the clarification!

Re: Why You Should Be Excited About the New Record for the Largest Prime Number

#8

Post by kotnik »

vog wrote: post #7
TobbenTM wrote: post #2

Non-mobile URL: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/02/05/curtis_co...

The mobile version loads fast and is more readable on the PC. Why would anyone want to visit the "non-mobile" version?

Picture overlaps text, in my version of Chromium.

Re: Why You Should Be Excited About the New Record for the Largest Prime Number

#9

Post by nollidge »

vog wrote: post #7
TobbenTM wrote: post #2

Non-mobile URL: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/02/05/curtis_co...

The mobile version loads fast and is more readable on the PC. Why would anyone want to visit the "non-mobile" version?

I might agree if the text wasn't so wide (edit: on my screen, at least). Longer lines are less readable because you can't easily find the next line when your eye flicks back to the left after finishing a line.
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