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Nomenclature and notation
This serves as a glossary for common terms and the notation that one may encounter in this Wiki.
Contents
[hide]Mersenne
Either Marin Mersenne or one of the special class of numbers that bear his name.
Mersenne number
Any number whether composite or prime of the form
Mersenne prime
A number that is itself prime and can be written in the form
Mxx, M(x), and Mxx notation
Mxx can refer to one of 2 different things:
- The xxth Mersenne prime, in order of size from the smallest to largest. This is the primary and most common usage or
- The xxth Mersenne prime, in order of discovery (this usage is less common).
Generally Mxx would be the same in either case, but not so in the case of M45, M46, and M47. These were discovered in the order of M47, M45 (2 weeks later), then M46 (8 months later.). To avoid confusion, many speakers will use say "The xxth Mersenne prime found" or "The xxth known Mersenne prime" to indicate the second case listed above.
is normally used to denote being run through the Mersenne function: . is sometimes used to denote the same function.
Confusion may sometimes occur when individuals refer to
MMxx, MM(xx), and MMxx notation
The MMxx notation is used to refer to a 'Double Mersenne' of a number:
Often the parenthesis are not used, but implied, such as MM61 referring to
HPxx, HP(xx), or HPxx(yy)
HP
HP