Here's my festive celebration of the world's biggest known prime number, Mersenne 48, discovered at the start of 2013 by Curtis Cooper. I thought a little song would be more interesting than just singing all 17 million digits... though feel free to add that to the chorus yourself... Happy Christmath 2013 everyone!
PS the more auditorily observant amongst you will notice a plane going overhead around 1'10. You've guessed it, Sherlock. I live under the Heathrow flightpath, recorded this in one take, and didn't want to do it all over again because it was nearly dinnertime and I was hungry. Call it an Easter Egg, just for you, hey?
PS the more auditorily observant amongst you will notice a plane going overhead around 1'10. You've guessed it, Sherlock. I live under the Heathrow flightpath, recorded this in one take, and didn't want to do it all over again because it was nearly dinnertime and I was hungry. Call it an Easter Egg, just for you, hey?
lyrics
In January Professor Curtis Cooper found a number
Not an ordinary number, but a number that’s humungous...
...so I don’t want your mulled pies and you can keep your minced wine
All I want for Christmas is the world's biggest prime!
It's 2 to the power of 57885161 (minus one)
Mersenne 48 - the perfect gift for everyone
So give me oh give me this Christmas time
A seventeen million digit Christmas prime
It's rarer than a cracker joke that actually makes you laugh
As useful as a pair of roller skates for a giraffe
If I had one I could do whatever I like with it
Well, anything I want apart from dividing it… except by itself and one...
2 to the power of 57885161 (minus one)
And if I tried to sing it in hours I’d need one thousand one hundred and eighty-one
So give me oh give me this Christmas time
A seventeen million digit Christmas prime
You can type it and text it or write it and post it,
Bake it in bread and then slice it and toast it
If you can’t calculate it and send it in time
I’ll accept 16 million decimal places of Pi
So give me oh give me this Christmas time
A seventeen million digit Christmas prime
(One more recursion!)
Give me give oh give me this Christmas time
A seventeen million digit Christmas prime
Not an ordinary number, but a number that’s humungous...
...so I don’t want your mulled pies and you can keep your minced wine
All I want for Christmas is the world's biggest prime!
It's 2 to the power of 57885161 (minus one)
Mersenne 48 - the perfect gift for everyone
So give me oh give me this Christmas time
A seventeen million digit Christmas prime
It's rarer than a cracker joke that actually makes you laugh
As useful as a pair of roller skates for a giraffe
If I had one I could do whatever I like with it
Well, anything I want apart from dividing it… except by itself and one...
2 to the power of 57885161 (minus one)
And if I tried to sing it in hours I’d need one thousand one hundred and eighty-one
So give me oh give me this Christmas time
A seventeen million digit Christmas prime
You can type it and text it or write it and post it,
Bake it in bread and then slice it and toast it
If you can’t calculate it and send it in time
I’ll accept 16 million decimal places of Pi
So give me oh give me this Christmas time
A seventeen million digit Christmas prime
(One more recursion!)
Give me give oh give me this Christmas time
A seventeen million digit Christmas prime
credits
released 30 December 2013
Words, lyrics, ukulele and vocals by Helen Arney, December 2013
Words, lyrics, ukulele and vocals by Helen Arney, December 2013
With thanks to presenter Tim Harford and producer Ben Carter at BBC Radio 4 "More Or Less". They helped me with the first inkling of an idea for this song, and first broadcast it as part of their 2013 "Numbers of the Year" special: