Luke Durant is currently credited with discovering the largest known prime number, which leads to the construction of what could be considered the "biggest number" known.
Details of the Discovery
On October 23, 2024, Luke Durant, a researcher and former NVIDIA employee, discovered the 52nd Mersenne prime, denoted as M136279841. This number, calculated as 2136,279,841 - 1, is a prime number and has 41,024,320 decimal digits. Because it is the largest known prime, related calculations can lead to large numbers.
Why "Biggest Number" is Relative
It's important to note that "biggest number" is a somewhat ambiguous term.
- Known Prime Numbers: Durant discovered the largest known prime number. This doesn't mean there aren't larger numbers, just that we haven't proven they are prime.
- Constructed Numbers: Mathematicians can conceive of infinitely large numbers using mathematical notation (like Graham's number). These are well-defined but aren't necessarily "discovered" in the same way as a prime number.
Conclusion
While the idea of the "biggest number" is subjective, Luke Durant is currently recognized for discovering the largest known prime number, 2136,279,841 - 1, which has over 41 million digits.
