Cunningham Chain of the Second Kind · Discovered 11/25/2013, 3:17:13 AM · Difficulty 9.9525 · 6,554,823 confirmations
A sequence where each prime is double the previous prime minus one.
Height
#272,218
Difficulty
9.952534
Transactions
2
Size
870 B
Version
2
Bits
09f3d943
Nonce
36,294
Timestamp
11/25/2013, 3:17:13 AM
Confirmations
6,554,823
Merkle Root
This is the prime chain origin stored in the block header. It is a composite number (not prime itself) — it equals the first prime in the chain multiplied by a primorial. The origin anchors the entire chain to this specific block.
These are the actual prime numbers discovered by this block, computed using the verified Primecoin formula. Each number has been independently confirmed to pass the Fermat primality test. Use the FactorDB links to verify any number independently.
What this block proved
The miner who found this block proved the existence of 9 consecutive prime numbers forming a Cunningham Chain of the Second Kind. The prime chain origin — the large number shown above — anchors the chain and is divisible by a primorial (the product of small primes), cryptographically tying these prime numbers to this specific block.
View full Prime Chain Discovery page →Primecoin stores a value called the prime chain origin in each block. The miner found a large integer such that when divided by a primorial (the product of small primes: 2 × 3 × 5 × 7 × …), the result is the first prime in the chain. The origin is deliberately divisible by this primorial — that divisibility is part of the proof.
This is why the origin has many small prime factors — those factors are the primorial divisor. The chain then extends from the first prime using the 2CC formula:
Anyone running a Primecoin node can independently verify this block using the following RPC commands. Run these from the primecoin-cli command line or via the debug console in the Primecoin wallet.
getblockhash 272218Returns the block hash for a given block height. Use this to confirm the hash shown above matches the chain.
getblock efb2ac8f4c43077bf9f200d2669141d86d16d7e5569939b3e88e2a29af78b7c4Returns the full block header including difficulty, prime chain origin, prime chain type, transaction IDs, and all other fields shown on this page.
How to run these commands: To verify this data independently, open a terminal on your own Primecoin node and run primecoin-cli <command>. Alternatively, open the Primecoin-Qt wallet, go to Help → Debug Window → Console, and type the command directly. The node must be fully synced to this block height for the commands to return results.
Cross-reference on Chainz Explorer
Chainz is an independent Primecoin block explorer. Compare this block's data to verify accuracy.