Odd Perfect Numbers

Zeta-Flux · 2003-05-24, 02:57

I was just wondering if there is any computer program out there that looks for odd perfect numbers. Currently it has been proven that an odd perfect number must have at least 8 prime factors, but this bound could easily be improved with extensive computations. Anyone out there want to write such a program?

philmoore · 2003-05-28, 19:41

I think this would make an interesting project. The Brent, Cohen, and te Riele paper
(reference at http://www.utm.edu/research/primes/references/refs.cgi/BCR91)
sketches a proof that any odd perfect number must have at least 8 distinct factors and at least 300 digits. Furthermore, their method of proving this would have discovered such an odd perfect number if one had existed with less than 300 digits. It would be interesting to see how much this bound can be improved with the increase in computing power since then. Since GIMPS can be looked at as the search for even perfect numbers, a search for odd perfect numbers seems a natural complementary project. The beauty of these papers on odd perfect numbers is that they are not extremely technical, and I think most amateur number theorists with only minimal background would be able to understand them.

2003-05-24, 02:57	#1
Zeta-Flux May 2003 7×13×17 Posts	Odd Perfect Numbers I was just wondering if there is any computer program out there that looks for odd perfect numbers. Currently it has been proven that an odd perfect number must have at least 8 prime factors, but this bound could easily be improved with extensive computations. Anyone out there want to write such a program?

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2003-05-28, 19:41	#2
philmoore "Phil" Sep 2002 Tracktown, U.S.A. 2×13×43 Posts	I think this would make an interesting project. The Brent, Cohen, and te Riele paper (reference at http://www.utm.edu/research/primes/references/refs.cgi/BCR91) sketches a proof that any odd perfect number must have at least 8 distinct factors and at least 300 digits. Furthermore, their method of proving this would have discovered such an odd perfect number if one had existed with less than 300 digits. It would be interesting to see how much this bound can be improved with the increase in computing power since then. Since GIMPS can be looked at as the search for even perfect numbers, a search for odd perfect numbers seems a natural complementary project. The beauty of these papers on odd perfect numbers is that they are not extremely technical, and I think most amateur number theorists with only minimal background would be able to understand them.