Mini-Project: The List of All Prime Numbers

Before looking at list comprehensions and arrays, let us return to the second example of an infinite list I promised earlier: the list of all prime numbers. This list is easiest to generate using unfoldr. Here's the magic little piece of code:

GHCi

>>> sieve (x:xs) = Just (x, filter (\y -> y `mod` x /= 0) xs)
>>> primes = unfoldr sieve [2..]
>>> take 20 primes
[2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19,23,29,31,37,41,43,47,53,59,61,67,71]

This code implements the Sieve of Eratosthenes. The seed for the whole sequence of prime numbers is the sequence of all integers starting at 2. That's the infinite sequence [2..]. The first invocation sieve [2..] splits [2..] into x = 2 and xs = [3..]. It returns x = 2 as the first element of the sequence to be generated by unfoldr sieve [2..] and takes as the new seed the list obtained by removing from [3..] all the numbers divisible by x = 2. Thus, the new seed is the list of all odd numbers starting from 3. The next invocation of sieve on this seed splits the list into x = 3 and xs = [5,7..]. Thus, 3 is the next prime number produced by unfoldr, and the seed for the remainder of the list is the sublist of xs containing all elements not divisible by 3. This process continues forever, as sieve never returns Nothing. We can extract as many prime numbers from this list as we want:

GHCi

>>> take 1000 primes
[2,3,5,7,11,13,17,19,23,29,31,37,41,43,47,53,59,61,67,71,73,79,83,89,97,101,103,107,109,113,127,
131,137,139,149,151,157,163,167,173,179,181,191,193,197,199,211,223,227,229,233,239,241,251,257,
263,269,271,277,281,283,293,307,311,313,317,331,337,347,349,353,359,367,373,379,383,389,397,401,
409,419,421,431,433,439,443,449,457,461,463,467,479,487,491,499,503,509,521,523,541,547,557,563,
569,571,577,587,593,599,601,607,613,617,619,631,641,643,647,653,659,661,673,677,683,691,701,709,
719,727,733,739,743,751,757,761,769,773,787,797,809,811,821,823,827,829,839,853,857,859,863,877,
881,883,887,907,911,919,929,937,941,947,953,967,971,977,983,991,997,1009,1013,1019,1021,1031,
1033,1039,1049,1051,1061,1063,1069,1087,1091,1093,1097,1103,1109,1117,1123,1129,1151,1153,1163,
1171,1181,1187,1193,1201,1213,1217,1223,1229,1231,1237,1249,1259,1277,1279,1283,1289,1291,1297,
1301,1303,1307,1319,1321,1327,1361,1367,1373,1381,1399,1409,1423,1427,1429,1433,1439,1447,1451,
1453,1459,1471,1481,1483,1487,1489,1493,1499,1511,1523,1531,1543,1549,1553,1559,1567,1571,1579,
1583,1597,1601,1607,1609,1613,1619,1621,1627,1637,1657,1663,1667,1669,1693,1697,1699,1709,1721,
1723,1733,1741,1747,1753,1759,1777,1783,1787,1789,1801,1811,1823,1831,1847,1861,1867,1871,1873,
1877,1879,1889,1901,1907,1913,1931,1933,1949,1951,1973,1979,1987,1993,1997,1999,2003,2011,2017,
2027,2029,2039,2053,2063,2069,2081,2083,2087,2089,2099,2111,2113,2129,2131,2137,2141,2143,2153,
2161,2179,2203,2207,2213,2221,2237,2239,2243,2251,2267,2269,2273,2281,2287,2293,2297,2309,2311,
2333,2339,2341,2347,2351,2357,2371,2377,2381,2383,2389,2393,2399,2411,2417,2423,2437,2441,2447,
2459,2467,2473,2477,2503,2521,2531,2539,2543,2549,2551,2557,2579,2591,2593,2609,2617,2621,2633,
2647,2657,2659,2663,2671,2677,2683,2687,2689,2693,2699,2707,2711,2713,2719,2729,2731,2741,2749,
2753,2767,2777,2789,2791,2797,2801,2803,2819,2833,2837,2843,2851,2857,2861,2879,2887,2897,2903,
2909,2917,2927,2939,2953,2957,2963,2969,2971,2999,3001,3011,3019,3023,3037,3041,3049,3061,3067,
3079,3083,3089,3109,3119,3121,3137,3163,3167,3169,3181,3187,3191,3203,3209,3217,3221,3229,3251,
3253,3257,3259,3271,3299,3301,3307,3313,3319,3323,3329,3331,3343,3347,3359,3361,3371,3373,3389,
3391,3407,3413,3433,3449,3457,3461,3463,3467,3469,3491,3499,3511,3517,3527,3529,3533,3539,3541,
3547,3557,3559,3571,3581,3583,3593,3607,3613,3617,3623,3631,3637,3643,3659,3671,3673,3677,3691,
3697,3701,3709,3719,3727,3733,3739,3761,3767,3769,3779,3793,3797,3803,3821,3823,3833,3847,3851,
3853,3863,3877,3881,3889,3907,3911,3917,3919,3923,3929,3931,3943,3947,3967,3989,4001,4003,4007,
4013,4019,4021,4027,4049,4051,4057,4073,4079,4091,4093,4099,4111,4127,4129,4133,4139,4153,4157,
4159,4177,4201,4211,4217,4219,4229,4231,4241,4243,4253,4259,4261,4271,4273,4283,4289,4297,4327,
4337,4339,4349,4357,4363,4373,4391,4397,4409,4421,4423,4441,4447,4451,4457,4463,4481,4483,4493,
4507,4513,4517,4519,4523,4547,4549,4561,4567,4583,4591,4597,4603,4621,4637,4639,4643,4649,4651,
4657,4663,4673,4679,4691,4703,4721,4723,4729,4733,4751,4759,4783,4787,4789,4793,4799,4801,4813,
4817,4831,4861,4871,4877,4889,4903,4909,4919,4931,4933,4937,4943,4951,4957,4967,4969,4973,4987,
4993,4999,5003,5009,5011,5021,5023,5039,5051,5059,5077,5081,5087,5099,5101,5107,5113,5119,5147,
5153,5167,5171,5179,5189,5197,5209,5227,5231,5233,5237,5261,5273,5279,5281,5297,5303,5309,5323,
5333,5347,5351,5381,5387,5393,5399,5407,5413,5417,5419,5431,5437,5441,5443,5449,5471,5477,5479,
5483,5501,5503,5507,5519,5521,5527,5531,5557,5563,5569,5573,5581,5591,5623,5639,5641,5647,5651,
5653,5657,5659,5669,5683,5689,5693,5701,5711,5717,5737,5741,5743,5749,5779,5783,5791,5801,5807,
5813,5821,5827,5839,5843,5849,5851,5857,5861,5867,5869,5879,5881,5897,5903,5923,5927,5939,5953,
5981,5987,6007,6011,6029,6037,6043,6047,6053,6067,6073,6079,6089,6091,6101,6113,6121,6131,6133,
6143,6151,6163,6173,6197,6199,6203,6211,6217,6221,6229,6247,6257,6263,6269,6271,6277,6287,6299,
6301,6311,6317,6323,6329,6337,6343,6353,6359,6361,6367,6373,6379,6389,6397,6421,6427,6449,6451,
6469,6473,6481,6491,6521,6529,6547,6551,6553,6563,6569,6571,6577,6581,6599,6607,6619,6637,6653,
6659,6661,6673,6679,6689,6691,6701,6703,6709,6719,6733,6737,6761,6763,6779,6781,6791,6793,6803,
6823,6827,6829,6833,6841,6857,6863,6869,6871,6883,6899,6907,6911,6917,6947,6949,6959,6961,6967,
6971,6977,6983,6991,6997,7001,7013,7019,7027,7039,7043,7057,7069,7079,7103,7109,7121,7127,7129,
7151,7159,7177,7187,7193,7207,7211,7213,7219,7229,7237,7243,7247,7253,7283,7297,7307,7309,7321,
7331,7333,7349,7351,7369,7393,7411,7417,7433,7451,7457,7459,7477,7481,7487,7489,7499,7507,7517,
7523,7529,7537,7541,7547,7549,7559,7561,7573,7577,7583,7589,7591,7603,7607,7621,7639,7643,7649,
7669,7673,7681,7687,7691,7699,7703,7717,7723,7727,7741,7753,7757,7759,7789,7793,7817,7823,7829,
7841,7853,7867,7873,7877,7879,7883,7901,7907,7919]