Originally posted here by Egaladeist
My question would be...why waste the resources of 700 computers over a period of years that could be put to better use folding DNA , or other medical or practical applications, rather than trying to find a prime number that has no practical application at all.

This Central Missouri State University is displaying exactly what's wrong with the educational system today...wasted resources and a total lack of consideration for practical applications.

Eg
the application of number theory [prime numbers] is crucial to the world of cryptography. inane comments like yours aren't.