Why do we calculate Prime numbers? Is calculating largest Prime number helpful to us? Are they being used in Cryptography?

Question

turingtest · Answer

you should be asking @myininaya I think
she's good with cryptography

anonymous · Answer

I was thinking about tagging her, and  @agdgdgdgwngo as well.

anonymous · Answer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_number#Applications This agrees with what my impression of the subject has been so far. That impression being that it is one of those subjects that mathematicians just started studying out of curiosity and have recently found applications for. Actually, that description applies to a whole lot of math. Invented or studied somewhat arbitrarily, and then later applications are found. It's kind of a crazy concept. Imagine inventing a tool, and then finding a job you didn't know existed, which requires exactly that tool.

kinggeorge · Answer

Calculating the Largest prime number is just of interest to mathematicians. But finding large prime numbers in general is very useful in cryptography.

turingtest · Answer

I have my structuralist conceptions about all that @SmoothMath

turingtest · Answer

what do you mean by "Calculating the Largest prime number" ?
I think we all here know the grade-school proof that there is no greatest prime

turingtest · Answer

^example of my ignorance of the subject

anonymous · Answer

I believe "Greatest known prime number" or "next prime number" is what was meant to be said.

unklerhaukus · Answer

i dont think there is any formula to predict prime numbers

anonymous · Answer

There's not.

anonymous · Answer

Primes are cute, rare and we all want to find things like that.

anonymous · Answer

Enroll yourself to GIMPS http://www.mersenne.org/

anonymous · Answer

Look what I found! :D http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/7377/why-are-very-large-prime-numbers-important-in-cryptography http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/43119/real-world-applications-of-prime-numbers