Re:Every odd number greater than five is the sum of three pr...
by brey on Tuesday May 14, 2013 @05:59AM
(#5703870)
of itself, probably nothing.
asking this question is somewhat like driving to your mother's house, looking out the window on the way and asking, "Why the hell am I on a freeway onramp? I didn't want to be here, I want to be at my mother's house!"
academic discovery is a journey, building on top of the progress made by others along the way. not all points along that route have intrinsic value.
public-key crypto has incredibly high real-world value. most of the things learnt by number theory researchers building up to RSA's discovery - not so much.
asking this question is somewhat like driving to your mother's house, looking out the window on the way and asking, "Why the hell am I on a freeway onramp? I didn't want to be here, I want to be at my mother's house!"
academic discovery is a journey, building on top of the progress made by others along the way. not all points along that route have intrinsic value.
public-key crypto has incredibly high real-world value. most of the things learnt by number theory researchers building up to RSA's discovery - not so much.