Scoop Oddity: There's Magic In Them There Numbers

Tuesday, 23 November 1999, 1:16 pm
Column: Alastair Thompson

After observing the celebrations of the last completely odd day for 1112 years last Friday, Scoop on a hunch decided to check whether the date was also a prime - that is, a number indivisible.

This would, Scoop surmised, make the oddness of the Friday 19th November 1999 even odder.

Fortunately Scoop has a contributor with a minor obsession for prime numbers and can now reveal to you - the Scoop Audience - for the first time - the TRUTH about just how odd last Friday was.

Written in US standard date format last Friday - 11191999 - is a prime number.

And you heard it first on Scoop! (Scoop notes that it is also an almost symmetrical number, which in Scoop's opinion makes it very odd indeed.)

Scoop is not sure whether there are any implications arising from this discovery - and suspects not - but it is odd.

Furthermore, Scoop has discovered that has we approach the millennium Scoop is far from alone in focussing a little attention on odd subjects - like primes - and dates.

Indeed in Ireland an entire book has been written on "the millennium prime" - a 2000 digit number found by an enthusiastic mathematician, scholar and, no doubt, gentleman.

"An appropriate millennium present - how about a number? Not just any old number, but a prime, and one that has a neat 2,000 digits. The "millennium prime" discovered earlier this year by Dr John Cosgrave of St Patrick's College, Dublin, has been published in a beautifully produced Booklet by Folding Landscapes, the publishing company of writer and map-maker Tim Robinson.

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Apart from the number itself, the heart of the book is an essay by Dr Cosgrave, originally an email he sent to his young nephew and niece describing the discovery of the prime and the background to his mathematical research. It is a charming and very accessible introduction to number research, an area often mistakenly dismissed as being far too esoteric to be understood or enjoyed by most people.

An introduction by Tim Robinson evokes the mysterious attraction of the primes, which he characterises as being "like a line of monoliths each taller than the last, leading beyond all horizons". The royalties of this attractive, quirky little book are being donated to the Irish Cancer Society.

For more info see… http://www.iol.ie/~tandmfl

So there you are. Scoop is not alone.

Faced with the prospect of such an exceptionally odd number Scoop went back it its prime number expert who sent us the following. Our prime is not 2000 digits, but rather in the interests of oddness we have gone one better and produced a 2001 digit prime.

263 776 055 569 088 765 722 395 769 428 306 878 463 267 980 808 631 498 539 438 260 416 642 456 216 025 653 484 357 162 039 237 014 575 524 839 994 022 750 260 314 667 708 128 530 225 393 916 372 602 535 174 213 312 116 166 041 940 197 616 787 832 497 463 964 062 085 292 450 655 794 478 464 229 254 744 434 219 983 201 865 331 380 409 968 705 431 447 711 181 944 219 089 134 293 382 050 199 480 490 918 409 818 354 244 974 227 414 351 018 753 883 701 386 846 143 720 436 925 509 283 798 041 709 186 244 029 744 119 709 196 921 642 075 608 542 966 206 186 689 383 315 099 536 323 716 375 855 363 361 325 662 008 009 897 827 712 444 553 701 791 495 488 005 204 231 017 627 321 206 614 325 513 359 514 423 217 735 979 398 219 621 389 980 898 550 138 427 228 221 614 316 396 980 458 130 838 177 589 633 310 277 994 250 374 746 677 298 732 923 796 717 483 280 478 657 710 398 143 988 021 511 846 302 565 014 887 218 128 375 880 646 157 432 182 531 518 329 841 552 842 067 151 083 612 429 637 060 345 955 028 781 789 418 275 247 436 280 139 166 757 939 217 680 876 519 091 843 052 120 368 551 182 349 631 866 992 716 513 218 838 940 293 236 160 194 926 321 577 515 329 535 294 333 748 486 339 385 423 300 280 279 631 998 610 895 684 024 693 668 007 291 071 970 467 529 831 827 512 118 287 472 320 804 280 013 940 807 428 845 354 991 343 565 720 323 410 573 998 496 113 745 119 345 803 324 774 089 641 187 700 859 092 885 066 552 277 098 334 940 522 352 593 714 858 418 852 333 129 539 735 683 238 731 940 204 049 347 247 627 798 282 235 154 867 799 039 182 724 031 073 238 862 851 790 774 284 141 047 949 238 839 184 819 135 687 080 787 347 210 397 627 609 079 527 449 757 714 639 912 044 235 826 101 365 288 683 859 178 700 894 910 852 446 273 558 010 490 269 675 641 461 451 668 997 732 565 313 615 400 935 133 806 729 766 403 660 236 022 578 429 176 925 908 769 157 470 043 647 781 096 048 420 365 133 598 076 601 075 308 484 916 017 138 110 007 017 736 404 659 732 990 967 155 155 306 667 725 506 863 544 803 229 231 124 374 715 007 732 011 651 231 147 692 643 915 335 929 890 627 095 201 690 887 451 116 676 308 983 020 136 909 515 042 440 172 726 946 809 237 981 021 656 469 629 982 891 090 243 358 442 373 715 299 015 380 421 075 725 154 351 488 584 351 419 964 576 930 874 424 062 383 870 067 150 989 965 678 634 896 399 121 330 074 482 974 063 642 716 985 056 351 405 979 159 969 555 606 653 829 089 387 986 504 816 557 164 247 381 710 149 628 578 520 193 823 764 061 850 110 907 232 005 329 507 310 736 141 582 032 202 702 562 253 770 681 912 091 261 663 119 781 236 017 996 983 007 101 317 844 737 656 670 855 134 759 518 249 547 073 045 450 052 899 839 690 271

See Also:

Irish Eyes: The Last Completely Odd Day For Ages

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Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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