Block #238,457

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.

4.897 × 10⁹⁷(98-digit number)

48973234975746488032…20233638377837090121

Discovered Prime Numbers

p_k = 2^k × origin + 1

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.

origin + 1

4.897 × 10⁹⁷(98-digit number)

48973234975746488032…20233638377837090121

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^1 × origin + 1

9.794 × 10⁹⁷(98-digit number)

97946469951492976064…40467276755674180241

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^2 × origin + 1

1.958 × 10⁹⁸(99-digit number)

19589293990298595212…80934553511348360481

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^3 × origin + 1

3.917 × 10⁹⁸(99-digit number)

39178587980597190425…61869107022696720961

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^4 × origin + 1

7.835 × 10⁹⁸(99-digit number)

78357175961194380851…23738214045393441921

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^5 × origin + 1

1.567 × 10⁹⁹(100-digit number)

15671435192238876170…47476428090786883841

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^6 × origin + 1

3.134 × 10⁹⁹(100-digit number)

31342870384477752340…94952856181573767681

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^7 × origin + 1

6.268 × 10⁹⁹(100-digit number)

62685740768955504680…89905712363147535361

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^8 × origin + 1

1.253 × 10¹⁰⁰(101-digit number)

12537148153791100936…79811424726295070721

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

×2−1 →

2^9 × origin + 1

2.507 × 10¹⁰⁰(101-digit number)

25074296307582201872…59622849452590141441

Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗

What this block proved

The miner who found this block proved the existence of 10 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.

★★☆☆☆

Rarity

UncommonChain length 10

Roughly 1 in 100 blocks. Solid but expected in a healthy network.

How Primecoin's Proof-of-Work Constructs These Primes

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.

Prime Chain Origin = First Prime × Primorial (2·3·5·7·11·…)

Source: Primecoin prime.cpp — CheckPrimeProofOfWork()

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:

2CC: p₁ (first prime), p₂ = 2p₁ − 1, p₃ = 2p₂ − 1, …

Cross-reference on Chainz Explorer

Block #238,457

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