Fermat numbers have what mathematicians sometimes describe as a “beautiful mathematical form,” involving powers of 2. They were of interest 400 years ago and are now the subject of a wide-ranging worldwide computer search.
A Fermat number has the form 22n + 1, where n is a whole number equal to or greater than 0. The first Fermat number, F0, is 220 + 1, or 3.
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