NAME Math::Prime::XS - Calculate/detect prime numbers with deterministic tests SYNOPSIS use Math::Prime::XS qw(primes is_prime); @allprimes = primes(9); @someprimes = primes(4,9); if (is_prime(11)) { # do something } DESCRIPTION Math::Prime::XS calculates/detects prime numbers by either applying Modulo operator division, the Sieve of Eratosthenes, Trial division or a Summing calculation. FUNCTIONS primes Takes an integer and calculates the primes from 0 <= integer. Optionally an integer may be provided as first argument which will function as limit. Calculation then will take place within the range of the limit and the integer. Calls "sum_primes()" beneath the surface. is_prime Takes an integer as input and returns 1 if integer is prime, undef if it isn't. The underlying algorithm has been taken from "sum_primes()". mod_primes Applies the Modulo operator division and provides same functionality and interface as "primes()". Divides the number by all n less or equal then the number; if the number gets exactly two times divided by rest null, then the number is prime, otherwise not. sieve_primes Applies the Sieve of Erathosthenes and provides same functionality and interface as "primes()". The most efficient way to find all of the small primes (say all those less than 10,000,000) is by using the Sieve of Eratosthenes (ca 240 BC): Make a list of all the integers less than or equal to n (and greater than one). Strike out the multiples of all primes less than or equal to the square root of n, then the numbers that are left are the primes. http://primes.utm.edu/glossary/page.php?sort=SieveOfEratosthenes sum_primes Applies a Summing calculation that is somehow similar to "trial_primes()"; provides same functionality and interface as "primes()". Compared to "trial_primes()", Trial division is being omitted and replaced by an addition of primes less than the number's square root. If one of the "multiples" equals the number, then the number is not prime, otherwise, it is. This algorithm is a somewhat hybrid between the Sieve of Eratosthenes and Trial division. http://www.geraldbuehler.de/primzahlen trial_primes Applies Trial division and provides the same functionality and interface as "primes()". To see if an individual small integer is prime, Trial division works well: just divide by all the primes less than (or equal to) its square root. For example, to show 211 is prime, just divide by 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 13. Since none of these divides the number evenly, it is a prime. http://primes.utm.edu/glossary/page.php?sort=TrialDivision BENCHMARK If one appends "_primes" to the names on the left, one gets the full subnames. Following benchmark output refers to output generated by the "cmpthese()" function of the Benchmark module. Calculation results: primes <= 4000, one iteration: Rate sieve mod trial sum sieve 0.333/s -- -97% -98% -99% mod 11.9/s 3478% -- -33% -57% trial 17.9/s 5277% 50% -- -35% sum 27.6/s 8186% 132% 54% -- primes <= 8000, one iteration: Rate sieve mod sum trial sieve 7.71e-02/s -- -98% -99% -99% mod 3.31/s 4188% -- -53% -54% sum 7.00/s 8979% 112% -- -2% trial 7.14/s 9164% 116% 2% -- Bear in mind, that these results are not too reliable as the author could neither increase the number nor the iteration count provided, because if he attempted to do so, perl would report "Out of memory!", which was most likely caused by the Sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm, which is rather memory exhaustive by implementation. The Sieve of Eratosthenes is expected to be the slowest, followed by the Modulo operator division, then either Summing calculation or Trial division (dependant upon the iterations) followed by its counterpart. EXPORT Functions "primes(), is_prime(), mod_primes(), sieve_primes(), sum_primes(), trial_primes()" are exportable. Tags ":all - *()" SEE ALSO http://primes.utm.edu, http://www.it.fht-esslingen.de/~schmidt/vorlesungen/kryptologie/seminar/ ws9798/html/prim/prim-1.html AUTHOR Steven Schubiger LICENSE This program is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. See http://www.perl.com/perl/misc/Artistic.html