Re: SF: Back to theory

From: Paul Murray (p.nospam.murray_at_bigpond.com)
Date: 02/27/05 

Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2005 08:52:38 GMT

"Tim Peters" <tim.one@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:_Yednc3Lwo8TzrzfRVn-vQ@comcast.com...
> [Nora Baron, to JSH]

>>>> Assume M is the number to be factored. Pick a (small)
>>>> integer j. Let T = M - j. Thus T is a function of both
>>>> M and j.
Hmm. Ok.
>>>> Factor T. Assume you have split it into two factors,
>>>> f and g. Thus T = f*g.
...
>>>> Now let X be some rational function of f and g. One
>>>> possible choice might be,
>>>> X = (f - g)/(f + g).
>>>> Finally, let Y = M / X. Thus M = X * Y.
>>>>
>>>> Note that X and Y are both functions of the factors of
>>>> T. Also both are rational numbers. There is some chance
>>>> that the numerator of X has a factor in common with M.

BWAHAHAHA! ROFL! Is *that* it? Yes, there is "some chance", I suppose. But
wouldn't it be just as quick to factor numbers by rolling dice and then
checking to see if the number you rolled is a factor?

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