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A primality test is an algorithm for determining whether an input number is prime.Among other fields of mathematics, it is used for cryptography.Unlike integer factorization, primality tests do not generally give prime factors, only stating whether the input number is prime or not.
Fermat's little theorem states that if p is prime and a is not divisible by p, then a p − 1 ≡ 1 ( mod p ) . {\displaystyle a^{p-1}\equiv 1{\pmod {p}}.} If one wants to test whether p is prime, then we can pick random integers a not divisible by p and see whether the congruence holds.
This occurs for example when n is a probable prime to base a but not a strong probable prime to base a. [20]: 1402 If x is a nontrivial square root of 1 modulo n, since x 2 ≡ 1 (mod n), we know that n divides x 2 − 1 = (x − 1)(x + 1); since x ≢ ±1 (mod n), we know that n does not divide x − 1 nor x + 1.
The algorithm was the first one which is able to determine in polynomial time, whether a given number is prime or composite without relying on mathematical conjectures such as the generalized Riemann hypothesis. The proof is also notable for not relying on the field of analysis. [2]
A classic example of a decidable decision problem is the set of prime numbers. It is possible to effectively decide whether a given natural number is prime by testing every possible nontrivial factor. Although much more efficient methods of primality testing are known, the existence of any effective method is enough to establish decidability.
If a and p are coprime numbers such that a p−1 − 1 is divisible by p, then p need not be prime. If it is not, then p is called a (Fermat) pseudoprime to base a. The first pseudoprime to base 2 was found in 1820 by Pierre Frédéric Sarrus: 341 = 11 × 31. [12] [13] A number p that is a Fermat pseudoprime to base a for every number a coprime ...
The Mersenne number M 3 = 2 3 −1 = 7 is prime. The Lucas–Lehmer test verifies this as follows. Initially s is set to 4 and then is updated 3−2 = 1 time: s ← ((4 × 4) − 2) mod 7 = 0. Since the final value of s is 0, the conclusion is that M 3 is prime. On the other hand, M 11 = 2047 = 23 × 89 is not prime
The Solovay–Strassen primality test, developed by Robert M. Solovay and Volker Strassen in 1977, is a probabilistic primality test to determine if a number is composite or probably prime. The idea behind the test was discovered by M. M. Artjuhov in 1967 [1] (see Theorem E in the paper).