Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Universe is tiny compared to mathematics and software, even simply RSA keys are already 2048bit.

Lots of problems suffer from 'combinatorial explosion' [1].

I recently learned about the Archimedes's cattle problem, the solution is of order 10^206544 [2]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combinatorial_explosion

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes%27s_cattle_problem



10^206544 would still be less than 8 kB. You could store it on an Atari cartridge!




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: