The term factor base refers to the set of small prime numbers (and more generally, prime powers and irreducible polynomials) among which relations are constructed in various integer factoring algorithms (see also sieving) as well as in certain algorithms for solving the discrete logarithm problem (see also index calculus).
The choice of factor base—and specifically the maximum value in the factor base, called the smoothness bound—plays a crucial role in the time and hardware requirements for these algorithms. For further discussion, see the entry on smoothness.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 International Federation for Information Processing
About this entry
Cite this entry
Kaliski, B. (2005). Factor Base. In: van Tilborg, H.C.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cryptography and Security. Springer, Boston, MA . https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-23483-7_152
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-23483-7_152
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-23473-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-23483-0
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceReference Module Computer Science and Engineering