Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the Faculty of Science
University of Calgary
Bicycle Chains, Boolean Logic, and Beyond: The congruential sieve problem in three acts
Submitted by jlongwor on Mon, 04/06/2009 - 2:11pm.
Apr 7 2009 - 4:00pm
Apr 7 2009 - 4:50pm
Speaker:
Kjell Wooding
Location:
MS 431"It's very esoteric, of course, and since I am practically the only man
working in this field you can see how widespread the interest in it is."
When D. H. Lehmer spoke these words, he was referring to his work in the
design and implementation of congruential sieves.
In this talk, we will examine the congruential sieve problem through the lens of a well-known problem in number theory: proving primality. We will review the historical treatment of this problem, discuss the current state-of-the-art in sieve design (an extension of the problem to two dimensions) and offer a glimpse into some of the work that remains to be done. Inevitably, we will spend some of the talk discussing details that only an engineer could love. This could well offer insight into Lehmer's comments on the problem's popularity.
In this talk, we will examine the congruential sieve problem through the lens of a well-known problem in number theory: proving primality. We will review the historical treatment of this problem, discuss the current state-of-the-art in sieve design (an extension of the problem to two dimensions) and offer a glimpse into some of the work that remains to be done. Inevitably, we will spend some of the talk discussing details that only an engineer could love. This could well offer insight into Lehmer's comments on the problem's popularity.