# Is there an easier prime factorization method for the sum of a prime's powers?

I need to obtain prime factorizations of numbers of the type: $$\sum_{i=0}^n p^i$$, for any prime number $$p$$ (not the same one each time).

Do you know if there is a quicker algorithm to calculate these factorizations than those used for other natural numbers?

I don't know if there is a known solution. My only lead is that all Mersenne primes are of the form $$\sum_{i=0}^n 2^i$$.

Edit: by prime factorization I mean, for example, if $$p$$ is 3 and $$n$$ is 6, the number is 364, and the prime factorization I'm looking for is 2^2, 7 and 13.

You have a geometric series, so $$\sum_{i=0}^n p^i=\frac {p^{n+1}-1}{p-1}$$. When the prime is $$2$$ this does not give a factorization because the denominator is $$1$$. For all other primes it does.
• Thanks for your answer. I didn't think of the formula of a geometric series, that could prove to be useful. However, I don't see how the sum obtained by this formula leads to the prime factorization of itself, which is what I am looking for. For example, when p equals 3 and n equals 3, the sum is $1+3+9+27=40$. This is obtainabled by your given formula, but my task is to find the prime factorization of that sum, i.e 5^1 and 2^3 – Ifn47 Aug 2 at 15:11
• @Ifn47, you can factor the numerator $p^{n - 1} - 1$ by the same idea as $(p - 1) (1 + p + p`2 + \dotsb + p^{n - 2})$. – vonbrand Aug 2 at 15:56
• @Ifn47, even better, use the known factorization $x^{r s} - 1 = (x^r - 1) (x^{(r - 1) s} + x^{(r - 2) s} + \dotsb + 1)$. Pick any factorization of your $n - 1$, and you are in bussiness. – vonbrand Aug 2 at 16:03