Factoring Large Integers
- 1 April 1974
- journal article
- research article
- Published by JSTOR in Mathematics of Computation
- Vol. 28 (126), 637-646
- https://doi.org/10.2307/2005940
Abstract
A modification of Fermat's difference of squares method is used for factoring large integers. This modification permits factoring n in <!-- MATH $O({n^{1/3}})$ --> elementary operations, where addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or the extraction of a square root is considered as an elementary operation. A principal part is played by the use of a dissection of the continuum similar to the Farey dissection. This has been programmed for <!-- MATH $n \leqq 1.05 \times {10^{20}}$ --> on the CDC 6400.