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From: jimh@hpsadla.HP (Jim Horn)
Newsgroups: sci.math.symbolic
Subject: Another factorization request.
Message-ID: <2380002@hpsadla.HP>
Date: Fri, 14-Nov-86 19:35:32 EST
Article-I.D.: hpsadla.2380002
Posted: Fri Nov 14 19:35:32 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Nov-86 01:39:24 EST
Lines: 50

A request for factorization...

After the remarkable factorization done earlier and displayed in this
notestring, I'd like to pass on a request from a friend in Kansas.

The "Canadian Farm & Home Almanac" of 1984 (Vol 19) has a set of "Argument
Clinchers" (pg 96) which includes the following:

	The possibility of two persons having identical fingerprints is one
	chance in 1,606,937,974,174,171,729,761,809,705,564,167,968,221,
	676,069,604,401,795,301,376.  That first digit is novemdecillion.

Efforts to locate the derivation of this value have been fruitless.  The
editors of the book claim to have gotten the number from Scotland Yard, but
requests from that source have turned up nothing.  An analysis of the
number was then attempted to try to discover its derivation.

At this point, we know that:

1606937974174171729761809705564167968221676069604401795301376 =
	2 ^ 43 *
	17 *
	4937 *
	5434669 *
	400519950023277930387559326324618247	(approx. 4E35)

This last value is composite, but has no factors less than 5000000000 (5E9).
At this point, further attempts at factorization using uMath have yielded
nothing.  Neither of us has had a chance to impliment the more advanced
factorization algorithms given by Knuth (The Art of Computer Programming,
Vol. 2) to break it, although we hope to.  Meanwhile, would anyone else
care to try?

I know this is a serious notes string, and apologize for what may appear a
relatively trivial request.  But we would like to find the two (no more or
less) factors of that last value (4.005..E35), and would greatly appreciate
it if someone with the capabilities to do so would let us know what they
are.

You can reach the source of this quandary (no e-mail - sorry!) at:

	Robert G. Wilson, Jr.
	408 Century Plaza Building
	Wichita, KS  67202
	Work: (316) 265-7957	Home: (316) 682-5678

Or you can e-mail to me and I'll be happy to pass it along.  Many thanks!!!

		Jim Horn	{The World}!hplabs!hpfcla!hpsadla!jimh}
	Work: (707) 794-3130	Home: (707) 523-4890