FUNCTIONAL PEARL Calculating the Sieve of Eratosthenes

Abstract

The Sieve of Eratosthenes is an efficient algorithm for computing the successive primes. Rendered informally, it is as follows: 1. Write down the successive “plurals”: 2, 3, 4, …2. Repeat:(a) Take the first number that is not circled or crossed out.(b) Circle it.(c) Cross out its proper multiples.3. What is left (i.e. the circled numbers) are the successive prime numbers.