Re: A factoring algorithm

Phil Carmody wrote:
>Can you conceive of the possibility that one of the more
>talented and experienced minds in the field could examine
>a novel O(n^(1/4)) algorithm, and recognise something that
>has been missed by the amateur who originated the algorithm,
>and by doing so reduce its complexity in a significant way?

Of course it's conceivable that a talented and experienced mind could look
at the O(N^1/4) algorithm and come up with some fast factoring algorithm.
But as far as I can see, it's just as conceivable that a talented and
experienced mind could find a fast factoring algorithm without wasting
their time on this algorithm. Unless there is some reason to spend time
reading the O(N^1/4) algorithm -- time that would, I suspect, be better
spent on other things -- why would anyone bother?

If the proposer of the algorithm has some reason to think that this is
interesting and has promise to lead to a faster factoring algorithm, then
I hope he will explain. But lacking that, and if Bob Silverman doesn't
see anything interesting here, well, I know whose word I will trust.

Note that the burden on the proposer to understand the prior work
and to make the case that their scheme has some interesting features
over and above what has been done before. If they don't, well, they
will be ignored. You might think that is not fair, but that is how
the system works. (And it works that way for a very good reason: no
one has unlimited time, and so we have to prioritize. If the proposer
cannot coherently explain why it is worth my time to study his system,
then 99% of the time that means that it is indeed not worth my time.)
Received on Tue Jan 17 16:49:18 2006