Mathematical aspects of ciphers: Ask on here or on Math.SE?

Question

_{Crossposted on Math.SE Meta. As of posting, it is at [+1/-0] and has 12 views and 0 answers after 1 hour.}

I have a question about a cipher called the "Prime Multiplication Cipher" which is a cipher that involves converting the letters to numbers using a prime number table and then raising that number to the power of its position in its word.

The method to decoding it is finding the prime factors of the numbers and seeing how many times each number appears. Usually, if a word contains multiple of the same letters, then the word is usually split up. This is to avoid losing the positions of letters.

This can usually be avoided by doing the position power letter instead (position as the $n$th prime number to the letter as converted to A1Z26), but then of course you have the problem of the numbers being super huge super fast.

My question in this case is whether or not there is a fast way to decode this type of cipher. (i.e. How to recognize prime factors quickly)

However, I don't know whether I should post this on Math.SE (hence I could use the puzzle tag when asking my question) or if it would be considered more on-topic here. (since there exists the cipher tag and puzzles involving mathematics are on-topic there)

Answer 1

From @rschwieb's comment on the original post:

Posts should not be used to "pose questions for entertainment of the community" as they are at puzzling.se. (See here) but if [you] can frame it as an actual mathematical question you need help solving then you can make a case for it

So in other words:

• Yes, if I am having trouble with a specific cipher that uses the Prime Multiplication cipher as the encoding method. I should post on Math.SE with the puzzle tag in that case.
• No, if it is not a specific cipher that I am having trouble with. In that case it should be posted on Puzzling.SE.