Block #278,785

TWNLength 10★★☆☆☆

Bi-Twin Chain · Discovered 11/28/2013, 3:02:47 AM · Difficulty 9.9699 · 6,517,801 confirmations

TWN
Bi-Twin Chain

Interleaved pairs of primes that differ by 2, forming twin prime pairs at each level.

Block Header
Block Hash
8b3d187aa50a060f5b97e47b4531c61569a487726de6a2563a58c1544301f32f

Height

#278,785

Difficulty

9.969869

Transactions

12

Size

6.61 KB

Version

2

Bits

09f84951

Nonce

241,735

Timestamp

11/28/2013, 3:02:47 AM

Confirmations

6,517,801

Merkle Root

18420a9485824a4e756bee38c8a44b931c88c465845f50d2cf8ead68592c1a9d
Prime Chain Origin

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.

8.679 × 10⁹³(94-digit number)
86790734501739387762…83801424443578643199
Discovered Prime Numbers
Lower: 2^k × origin − 1 | Upper: 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.

Level 0 — Twin Prime Pair (origin ± 1)
origin − 1
8.679 × 10⁹³(94-digit number)
86790734501739387762…83801424443578643199
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
origin + 1
8.679 × 10⁹³(94-digit number)
86790734501739387762…83801424443578643201
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
Difference: origin + 1 − origin − 1 = 2 (twin primes ✓)
Level 1 — Twin Prime Pair (2^1 × origin ± 1)
2^1 × origin − 1
1.735 × 10⁹⁴(95-digit number)
17358146900347877552…67602848887157286399
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
2^1 × origin + 1
1.735 × 10⁹⁴(95-digit number)
17358146900347877552…67602848887157286401
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
Difference: 2^1 × origin + 1 − 2^1 × origin − 1 = 2 (twin primes ✓)
Level 2 — Twin Prime Pair (2^2 × origin ± 1)
2^2 × origin − 1
3.471 × 10⁹⁴(95-digit number)
34716293800695755104…35205697774314572799
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
2^2 × origin + 1
3.471 × 10⁹⁴(95-digit number)
34716293800695755104…35205697774314572801
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
Difference: 2^2 × origin + 1 − 2^2 × origin − 1 = 2 (twin primes ✓)
Level 3 — Twin Prime Pair (2^3 × origin ± 1)
2^3 × origin − 1
6.943 × 10⁹⁴(95-digit number)
69432587601391510209…70411395548629145599
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
2^3 × origin + 1
6.943 × 10⁹⁴(95-digit number)
69432587601391510209…70411395548629145601
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
Difference: 2^3 × origin + 1 − 2^3 × origin − 1 = 2 (twin primes ✓)
Level 4 — Twin Prime Pair (2^4 × origin ± 1)
2^4 × origin − 1
1.388 × 10⁹⁵(96-digit number)
13886517520278302041…40822791097258291199
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
2^4 × origin + 1
1.388 × 10⁹⁵(96-digit number)
13886517520278302041…40822791097258291201
Verify on FactorDB ↗Wolfram Alpha ↗
Difference: 2^4 × origin + 1 − 2^4 × origin − 1 = 2 (twin primes ✓)

What this block proved

The miner who found this block proved the existence of 10 consecutive prime numbers forming a Bi-Twin Chain. 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 TWN formula:

TWN: twin pairs (p, p+2) where p = origin/primorial − 1 and p+2 = origin/primorial + 1
Circulating Supply:57,616,691 XPM·at block #6,796,585 · updates every 60s
xpmprime.info is a work in progress. If you enjoy using this service you can support this project with a Primecoin donation.