A Search Algorithm, And A Prize

_{Gil Dodgen

March 18, 2009

Intelligent Design}

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There has been some discussion at UD about computational search algorithms, which is one of my specialties.

Just for fun, I’ve included some C source code here (as a .txt file), which is part of a research project. I’ll send a free set of my classical piano albums to the first person who runs the code and publishes the program output in the comments below, along with a correct guess as to what the ultimate purpose of the search algorithm is.

Please provide the following information: CPU clock speed and compiler used.

EIL members are not eligible.

Comments

GilDodgen "Of course, the program did evolve, but it did so by saltation and design. Each new version required the simultaneous altering of many components of the existing code, and the addition of new code. The implications concerning living systems should be obvious." Can you expand on the implications please? It isn't obvious to me!GSV_{March 18, 2009
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Are your albums available to non-winners? You can download them for free as MP3 files at my website, along with program notes. For those who are interested in cryptography, check out Simon Singh's The Code Book. It's a marvelously fascinating read. It was this book that got me interested in the field.GilDodgen_{March 18, 2009
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On my drive out of DC yesterday, I passed the Puzzle Palace and the National Cryptographic Museum. Are your albums available to non-winners? iTunes?Pendulum_{March 18, 2009
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tragic mishap: You are trying to hack my credit card number that is supposedly secured by SSL encryption. You guessed it! I'll give tragic a prize. I'll also give Apollos a prize for this: Cryptography, testing key security, RSA keys (Go here and you can find my e-mail info. Send me a mailing address and I'll send you the albums.) For information on RSA encryption, factoring, and key security, go here. Here's the relevance to ID: The security of RSA is based upon the difficulty of factoring large semiprimes (numbers that are the product of only two primes). A typical RSA key modulus is 1024 bits with two 512-bit prime factors. 2^512 is approximately 10^154, which is in the neighborhood of Dembski's universal probability bound of 10^150. A blind search could never factor such a number. Factoring semiprimes of any significant size requires insight, planning, information, and intelligent design. If you discount comments, blank lines, and lines with only a curly brace, my entire factoring program is only about 115 lines of code. Here are some questions: How much time, and how much in the way of probabilistic resources would be required to evolve this program by random variation and natural selection, in a step-by-tiny-step fashion? Could this be done? What is the likelihood of improving it by randomly altering the code? Also note that the program is irreducibly complex, on many levels. Without the quicksort the binary search is useless. Without the binary search and the modulo divide operator the sieve won't work. Without all of the above and much more, carefully orchestrated and properly timed, the tree search won't work. All of the components must be in place simultaneously and functionally integrated. Of course, the program did evolve, but it did so by saltation and design. Each new version required the simultaneous altering of many components of the existing code, and the addition of new code. The implications concerning living systems should be obvious.GilDodgen_{March 18, 2009
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You are trying to hack my credit card number that is supposedly secured by SSL encryption. :( I feel naked.tragic mishap_{March 18, 2009
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factoring 523979429835916961 nodes searched = 472, with 30 cutoffs. Time to factor: 0 milliseconds The hole is: 59699254 prime factor #1 = 853043813, prime factor #2 = 614246797 853043813 x 614246797 = 523979429835916961 --- Intel Core2 Quad (2.4GHz) GNU C Compiler 4.3.2 I don't have any real guesses, I just wanted to try it. Could it have something to do with random number generation? Finding an effective modulus perhaps?seanbutnotheard_{March 18, 2009
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You're generating RSA keys and TheHole is the coprime.Apollos_{March 18, 2009
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Compressing large streams of numbers?Apollos_{March 17, 2009
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Cryptography -- key generation for comms or network security, or for testing key security?Apollos_{March 17, 2009
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My best guess is it prime-factors really big numbers really fast. Correct. But the question is, Why would I want to do that? What would be the significance of factoring really big numbers really fast?GilDodgen_{March 17, 2009
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factoring 523979429835916961 nodes searched = 472, with 30 cutoffs. Time to factor: 1 milliseconds The hole is: 59699254 prime factor #1 = 853043813, prime factor #2 = 614246797 853043813 x 614246797 = 523979429835916961 ----------------- My best guess is it prime-factors really big numbers really fast. I've no idea what "TheHole" is. CPU: Dual core 2.0 GHz AMD 64 X2 MSVC++ 2008Apollos_{March 17, 2009
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I know next to nothing, if anything at all, about C source code, but it'd be interesting to see your code come about via random variations and natural selection. Simply if only for the purpose of showing that it won't come about via those methods. lol Good job though on the code, it looks fancy. lolDomoman_{March 17, 2009
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