Slashdot Mirror
A Step Towards Proving the Riemann Hypothesis
arbitraryaardvark writes "A new mathematical object has been discovered by Bristol University student Ce Bian. The Riemann hypothesis, unproven since 1859, has to do with the distribution of primes and something called L-functions. Bian has demonstrated the first known third-degree transcendental L-function. This apparently opens up a new way to go about looking for proofs of the Riemann hypothesis. There is an unclaimed $1 million prize for a valid proof. We've discussed a couple of earlier attempts to claim the prize."
A proof of the Riemann Hypothesis itself won't have any effect on the security of encryption (if it did, you could compromise the encryption by just assuming the hypothesis is true and your exploit would work in nearly all cases). The only concern is if the process of developing the proof leads to an insight about the nature of prime numbers that weakens encryption in some other manner, but this wouldn't be the result of the Riemann Hypothesis itself.