TITLE: Prove there are no prime numbers in the sequence $a_n=10017,100117,1001117,10011117, \dots$
QUESTION [15 upvotes]: Define a sequence as $a_n=10017,100117,1001117,10011117$. (The $nth$ term has $n$ ones after the two zeroes.)
I conjecture that there are no prime numbers in the sequence. I used wolfram to find the first few factorisations:
$10017=3^3 \cdot 7 \cdot 53$
$100117=53\cdot 1889$
$1001117=13 \cdot 53\cdot1453$ and so on.
I've noticed the early terms all have a factor of $53$, so the problem can be restated as showing that all numbers of this form have a factor of $53$. However, I wouldn't know how to prove a statement like this. Nor am I sure that all of the terms do have a factor of $53$. 
I began by writing the $nth$ term of the sequence as 
$a_n=10^{n+3}+10^n+10^{n-1}+10^{n-2}+10^{n-3}+\cdots+10^3+10^2+10^1+7$ but cannot continue the proof.

REPLY [2 votes]: Another way to find the inductive relationship already cited, from a character manipulation point of view:
Consider any number in the sequence, $a_n$.  To create the next number, you must:

Subtract $17$, leaving a number terminating in two zeroes;
Divide by $10$, dropping one of the terminal zeroes;
Add $1$, changing the remaining terminal zero to a $1$;
Multiply by $100$, sticking a terminal double zero back on;
Add $17$, converting the terminal double zero back to $17$

Expressing this procedure algebraically, and simplifying:
$$a_{n+1}=\left (\frac{a_n-17}{10}+1 \right ) \times 100+17=10a_n-53$$