Mersenne primes are mostly of interest as mathematical curios. A Mersenne prime has the form 2n-1. For 2n-1 to be prime, n must also be prime. Perfect numbers have the form 2n-1(2n-1) where 2n-1 is a Mersenne prime, so when a new Mersenne prime is discovered, another perfect number is also found.
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It is, as of now, an open question whether there are a finite or an infinite number of Mersenne primes. At the beginning of the 21st century there were 47 known Mersenne primes, the highest being 43,112,609.
The first four Mersenne primes are 2, 3, 5, and 7.
There is a one-to-one relationship between even perfect numbers and Mersenne primes. It is unknown whether there are any odd perfect numbers.
A Mersenne number is a number that can be written as 2n - 1. A Mersenne prime is a Mersenne number that is a prime number. Here are some Mersenne primes: 22 - 1 = 3 23 - 1 = 7 25 - 1 = 31 27 - 1 = 127
A prime number has only two factors, 1 and itself. A Mersenne prime is a prime number derived from the algorithm 2n - 1. For example, 23 - 1 = 7 and 7 is a prime number so 3 is a Mersenne prime. Similarly 27 - 1 = 127 and 127 is a prime number so 7 is a Mersenne prime. There are 47 known Mersenne primes, the highest being 43,112,609.