Query: Notation

[R.D. Silverman]

When one queries numbers the status column sometimes shows "C" with an
asterisk. What is the meaning of the asterisk?

The "tested" column sometimes is blank, sometimes shows a dash (-), sometimes
shows 0 and sometimes shows 5. Will someone knowledgeable please explain
the notation?

[axn]

Asterisk means the number was not previously in the DB, but your querying caused it to be added. If you requery the same number, it will not appear.

[RichD]

The “tested” column was used in FactorDB 1.0. If one clicks on the question mark next to tested, a cryptic message will appear. Similarly, if one clicks on the “status” question mark a brief statement will appear similar to axn response above.

If I recall correctly, the “tested” was the level of tiny testing of a C or CF. The dash appears on P and FF numbers. When a number was added to the database it would start at level 0. Each subsequent query would generate a split second of low level testing. I don’t recall the exact values because it varied by composite size. Let’s say, level 1 testing was TF to a small value. Level 2 was ten curves at a tiny B1. Another level would be five curves at a slightly higher B1. Another would be P+1 and/or P-1 testing - all at tiny levels. The current version of FactorDB does all five levels on the next query. And further tracking has yet to be implemented.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by axn

Asterisk means the number was not previously in the DB, but your querying caused it to be added. If you requery the same number, it will not appear.

That is a cool idea.

[R.D. Silverman]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

That is a cool idea.

Much obliged to those who responded.

[BudgieJane]

Originally Posted by axn

Asterisk means the number was not previously in the DB, but your querying caused it to be added. If you requery the same number, it will not appear.

Is there a way to query something(s) and for the number not to be added to the DB if it wasn't previously there? If not, can this facility be added?

[axn]

Originally Posted by BudgieJane

Is there a way to query something(s) and for the number not to be added to the DB if it wasn't previously there? If not, can this facility be added?

Not that I know of. You can contact Syd (http://www.factordb.com/imp.html) and ask for this feature. Not sure he will be inclined. I think the core principle of factordb is the democratization of factoring information. So, if a number is of interest to someone, factordb will create an entry for it, and (if it is small enough) factorize it as well.

[BudgieJane]

Originally Posted by axn

Not that I know of. You can contact Syd (http://www.factordb.com/imp.html) and ask for this feature. Not sure he will be inclined. I think the core principle of factordb is the democratization of factoring information. So, if a number is of interest to someone, factordb will create an entry for it, and (if it is small enough) factorize it as well.

I'm thinking of the situation I had the other day where I accidentally added a lot of new numbers to the database. I requested (a^n-b^n)/(a-b) where I obviously gave the numeric values for a, b and a-b, and I wanted n to run from something silly like 91, and show 200 examples in the reply. Then I decided there were too many FF numbers in the result and I couldn't see the wood for the trees, so I opted not to receive the FFs, but I forgot to reduce the number of items in the reply to something sensible like 20. This then generated an awful lot of new entries that I wasn't interested in, and it would have been better not to put the new numbers on the database.

I shall take up your idea and contact Syd, with my reasons for the suggestion.