George Woltman with Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search
Friday, October 4, 2019
3 - 4 p.m.
Walker Hall, Room 103A
This talk is free and open to the public.
George Woltman graduated from M.I.T. in 1978 with a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science. He has worked for several companies in the Research Triangle Park primarily writing operating system and database software. Upon retirement in 1995, he started the Great Internet Mersenne Primes Search (GIMPS), a recreational search for largest known prime numbers. GIMPS is a collaborative project of volunteers who use freely available software to search for Mersenne prime numbers.
In this lecture, Woltman will share a brief history about Mersenne Prime numbers and discuss the algorithms used to optimize the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search. Finally, a summary of GIMPS successes will be shared as well.
This event is sponsored by the Department of Mathematical Sciences. Please contact Quinn Morris morrisqa@appstate.edu or Travis Weiland weilandtj@appstate.edu or visit the department colloquium website for more information: https://mathsci.appstate.edu/activities-outreach/department-colloquia.
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About the Department of Mathematical Sciences
The Department of Mathematical Sciences offers undergraduate degrees in actuarial science and mathematics, with concentrations in business, computation, life sciences, physical sciences, secondary teaching and statistics, plus a general, self-designed concentration. The department also offers the Master of Arts in mathematics, with concentrations in college teaching and secondary teaching. Learn more at https://mathsci.appstate.edu.
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