Cunningham chain A sequence of prime numbers in which each member is twice the previous one plus one. For example, {2, 5, 11, 23, 47} is the first Cunningham chain of length 5 and {89, 179, 359, 719, 1439, 2879} is the first of length 6. More generally, a Cunningham chain of length k of the first kind is a sequence of k prime numbers, each of which is twice the preceding one plus one. A Cunningham chain of length k of the second kind is a sequence of k primes, each of which is twice the preceding one minus one. For example, {2, 3, 5} is a Cunningham chain of length 3 of the second kind and {1531, 3061, 6121, 12241, 24481} is a Cunningham chain of length 5 of the second kind. Primes of both these forms are called complete chains if they can't be extended by adding either the next larger or the next smaller terms. Related entry Sophie Germain prime Related category PRIME NUMBERS Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site) |