Xref: utzoo sci.math:13854 comp.theory:1293 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uw-beaver!milton!dali.cs.montana.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!linus!linus!faron!bs From: bs@faron.mitre.org (Robert D. Silverman) Newsgroups: sci.math,comp.theory Subject: Re: Large pairs of primes Message-ID: <127041@linus.mitre.org> Date: 30 Nov 90 03:27:02 GMT References: <1990Nov30.013039.13955@Neon.Stanford.EDU> Sender: usenet@linus.mitre.org Followup-To: sci.math Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA 01730 Lines: 28 In article <1990Nov30.013039.13955@Neon.Stanford.EDU> pehoushe@Gang-of-Four.Stanford.EDU, costllo@cs.stanford.edu writes: : :Does anyone know where Dr. Basil Fawlty published the following theorem? :(published circa late 1970's ?) : :Fawlty Towers Theorem: : :For non-empty towers of 2, :2^2^2...^2 + 1 is prime and :2^2^2...^2 + 3 is prime. : :Thus there are an infinite number of pairs of primes. Who the hell is Basil Fawlty? Is this some kind of joke? I've never heard of this guy. Is it another crackpot? This 'theorem' is trivially false: F16 = 2^2^2^2^2 + 1 has the factor 825753601. : : :We think the proof is too large to post to the net, but :we'd like a reference. -- Bob Silverman #include Mitre Corporation, Bedford, MA 01730 "You can lead a horse's ass to knowledge, but you can't make him think" Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com