What is your primary educational background?

eepiccolo · 2002-12-27, 14:09

I have a degree in Electrical Engineering, but Mathematics has always fascinated me, and it seems to me that EE is one of the most Math intensive engineerings there are. It would be interesting to know what people’s different backgrounds are, and why they got involved in GIMPS.

Paulie · 2002-12-27, 17:51

Lane Technical High School, Chicago Illinois, Class of 1990. :)

I started doing GIMPS back in 1997 after the DES challange was done. I wanted another project and found it.

dswanson · 2002-12-27, 17:56

Undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering, 14 years in industry designing, building, and flying satellites.

Always had a fascination with prime numbers. In high school used to try to factor people's phone numbers into small prime factors. One of the few I found that factored into all primes greater than 10 and less than 100 was my girlfriend's (833-3974 = 31 * 41 * 79 * 83). Guess that's why I married her!

Xyzzy · 2002-12-27, 18:26

I dropped out of school a year early when I was in the seventh grade to go work in the coal mines... I used to always envy the guy who counted the coal cars because he had the best job, so I figured I would learn all I could about numbers since his job was all about counting... Anything would be better than the constant cave-ins and the ever-present threat of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease... Well anyways, I walked to the closest library which at that time was only 42 miles away and got some number books and I liked them so much I never returned them... Well, I actually asked the librarian about returning them and she said in lieu of the $385 overdue fee I could just give her a roll of Copenhagen and a carburettor for a 1956 Ford truck, but I think I'll keep the books... Anyways, last year our town got a 386 computer to measure and log radioactive emissions near our water tower and one day I was goofing around on it trying to find some roof sealer for our doublewide and a Dale Earnhardt commemorative toilet brush when I found Chris Caldwell's prime web site...

eepiccolo · 2002-12-27, 19:15

That is a strange story, Xyzzy ;)

QuintLeo · 2002-12-28, 03:04

Rose-Hulman dropout, was Math-Physics major. Yes, BOTH - 90% of the required courses were the same, or close to that - and the other courses mostly were usable as "required" electives to fill out the major requirement.

Had I not dropped out, though, I'd have switched to Comp-Sci major fairly quickly....

cheesehead · 2002-12-28, 05:51

Didn't see a choice for "more than one of the above", so I just voted for the applicable one that needed the most help so far. :-)

(Hmmm ... guess I could re-register and vote for another choice ... but ... as R. M. Nixon observed, "It could be done, but it wouldn't be right.")

S3SJK · 2002-12-28, 10:00

Hi,

I must be one of the younger members of the Prime95 group judging by your posts.

Summer 2002 I finished my A-Levels. (IT, Maths with Stats, physics, Chemistry and General Studies). I had a place @ City University in London to study Actuarial Science but decided to enter the job market instead.

I have had an interest in "unique" numbers ever since I did an investigation into Pythagorean Triples a couple of years ago.

Joined Prime95 about a year ago with a 533 Celery; now have a P4 2533.

battlemaxx · 2002-12-28, 21:25

I was born to a family of poor sharecroppers down in Georgia...no wait, that was someone else...

Started out in engineering, ended up in telecomm, got my MSLS a few years ago. Getting a daily education nowadays from a couple of 2.5 year olds that know it all...

View Poll Results: What is your primary educational background?
0, I am not currently running gimps, there is no client for my PDA.	3	0.75%
1, I believe GIMPS is a good use of my time, but am not so in to it as a hobby.	21	5.24%
2-3, I have a small home network, or have my home and work machine on gimps.	23	5.74%
4-6, I have a small network at home/a few machines at work I admin.	22	5.49%
7-15, It is an obcession, true, but one I dreadfully enjoy. This is my mark on history.	14	3.49%
16+, I have the warmest apartment/have access to a large number of business or school-lab computers. My(coworkers/students) enjoy that they are making a difference and history.	20	4.99%
C	2	0.50%
D	6	1.50%
A	7	1.75%
B	3	0.75%
E	3	0.75%
F	3	0.75%
G	6	1.50%
H	1	0.25%
I	1	0.25%
Yes! Subforums are a great idea!	7	1.75%
No! I like thing the way they are!	12	2.99%
Yes!	8	2.00%
No!	10	2.49%
There are other projects?	5	1.25%
10	1	0.25%
20	1	0.25%
25	13	3.24%
50	9	2.24%
100	2	0.50%
All of them (!)	4	1.00%
Yes, I have a lot of junk^H^H^H^Hcool stuff to sell!	9	2.24%
No, it would just create a lot of problems!	16	3.99%
6 months	3	0.75%
1 year	18	4.49%
5 years	33	8.23%
10 years	4	1.00%
never	1	0.25%
~1x	1	0.25%
~4x	6	1.50%
~16x	9	2.24%
~64x	8	2.00%
>256x	8	2.00%
0. I only love GIMPS	16	3.99%
1. Mersenne primes don't provide instant gratification	12	2.99%
2-3. I'm interested in finding aliens and the cure for cancer.	6	1.50%
4-7. I have enough machines to go around.	1	0.25%
7-10. I'm obsessed with "distributed" everything.	3	0.75%
Mathematics	7	1.75%
Computer Science/Programming	10	2.49%
Engineering	8	2.00%
Physics	6	1.50%
Other	9	2.24%
Voters: 401. You may not vote on this poll

2002-12-27, 14:09	#1
eepiccolo Dec 2002 Frederick County, MD 370₁₀ Posts	What is your primary educational background? I have a degree in Electrical Engineering, but Mathematics has always fascinated me, and it seems to me that EE is one of the most Math intensive engineerings there are. It would be interesting to know what people’s different backgrounds are, and why they got involved in GIMPS.

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2002-12-27, 17:51	#2
Paulie Aug 2002 223 Posts	Lane Technical High School, Chicago Illinois, Class of 1990. :) I started doing GIMPS back in 1997 after the DES challange was done. I wanted another project and found it.

2002-12-27, 17:56	#3
dswanson Aug 2002 310₈ Posts	Undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering, 14 years in industry designing, building, and flying satellites. Always had a fascination with prime numbers. In high school used to try to factor people's phone numbers into small prime factors. One of the few I found that factored into all primes greater than 10 and less than 100 was my girlfriend's (833-3974 = 31 * 41 * 79 * 83). Guess that's why I married her!

2002-12-27, 18:26	#4
Xyzzy "Mike" Aug 2002 2⁵×257 Posts	I dropped out of school a year early when I was in the seventh grade to go work in the coal mines... I used to always envy the guy who counted the coal cars because he had the best job, so I figured I would learn all I could about numbers since his job was all about counting... Anything would be better than the constant cave-ins and the ever-present threat of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease... Well anyways, I walked to the closest library which at that time was only 42 miles away and got some number books and I liked them so much I never returned them... Well, I actually asked the librarian about returning them and she said in lieu of the $385 overdue fee I could just give her a roll of Copenhagen and a carburettor for a 1956 Ford truck, but I think I'll keep the books... Anyways, last year our town got a 386 computer to measure and log radioactive emissions near our water tower and one day I was goofing around on it trying to find some roof sealer for our doublewide and a Dale Earnhardt commemorative toilet brush when I found Chris Caldwell's prime web site...

2002-12-27, 19:15	#5
eepiccolo Dec 2002 Frederick County, MD 562₈ Posts	That is a strange story, Xyzzy ;)

2002-12-28, 03:04	#6
QuintLeo Oct 2002 Lost in the hills of Iowa 2⁶·7 Posts	Rose-Hulman dropout, was Math-Physics major. Yes, BOTH - 90% of the required courses were the same, or close to that - and the other courses mostly were usable as "required" electives to fill out the major requirement. Had I not dropped out, though, I'd have switched to Comp-Sci major fairly quickly....

2002-12-28, 05:51	#7
cheesehead "Richard B. Woods" Aug 2002 Wisconsin USA 2²×3×641 Posts	Didn't see a choice for "more than one of the above", so I just voted for the applicable one that needed the most help so far. :-) (Hmmm ... guess I could re-register and vote for another choice ... but ... as R. M. Nixon observed, "It could be done, but it wouldn't be right.")

2002-12-28, 10:00	#8
S3SJK Dec 2002 17₈ Posts	Hi, I must be one of the younger members of the Prime95 group judging by your posts. Summer 2002 I finished my A-Levels. (IT, Maths with Stats, physics, Chemistry and General Studies). I had a place @ City University in London to study Actuarial Science but decided to enter the job market instead. I have had an interest in "unique" numbers ever since I did an investigation into Pythagorean Triples a couple of years ago. Joined Prime95 about a year ago with a 533 Celery; now have a P4 2533.

2002-12-28, 21:25	#9
battlemaxx Nov 2002 101011₂ Posts	I was born to a family of poor sharecroppers down in Georgia...no wait, that was someone else... Started out in engineering, ended up in telecomm, got my MSLS a few years ago. Getting a daily education nowadays from a couple of 2.5 year olds that know it all...