en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Nelson_Cole
1 correction found
the Mersenne number 267 − 1, or M67.
M67 means 2^67 − 1, not 267 − 1. The text is missing the exponentiation on 2.
Full reasoning
M67 does not mean 267 − 1. In standard number-theory notation, a Mersenne number has the form 2^p − 1, and the M label uses the exponent p. The GIMPS glossary states both points directly. MacTutor's biography of Frank Cole likewise states that his famous achievement was factoring 2^67 − 1.
That makes the article's displayed expression incorrect. As written, 267 − 1 equals 266, which is not the same number as M67. The rest of the paragraph even gives the decimal value 147,573,952,589,676,412,927, which is the value of 2^67 − 1. So this sentence has lost the superscript formatting and now states the wrong number.
2 sources
- GIMPS Glossary - PrimeNet
exponent Mersenne numbers are always in the form 2 exponent - 1. Specific Mersenne numbers are usually referred to by the exponent, and identified as such with a M prefix, as in M1234577.
- Frank Cole (1861 - 1926) - Biography - MacTutor History of Mathematics
In number theory he achieved the distinction of being the first to factor 2^67 − 1 ... In fact 2^67 − 1 = 147573952589676412927 = 761838257287 × 193707721.