trusty (3) Math::Prime::Util::PrimeArray.3pm.gz
NAME
Math::Prime::Util::PrimeArray - A tied array for primes
VERSION
Version 0.37
SYNOPSIS
use Math::Prime::Util::PrimeArray;
# Create:
tie my @primes, 'Math::Prime::Util::PrimeArray';
# Use in a loop by index:
for my $n (1..10) {
print "prime $n = $primes[$n]\n";
}
# Use in a loop over array:
for my $p (@primes) {
print "$p\n";
last if $p > $limit; # stop sometime
}
# Use via array slice:
print join(",", @primes[0..50]), "\n";
# Use via each:
use 5.012;
while( my($index,$value) = each @primes ) {
print "The ${index}th prime is $value\n";
last if $p > $limit; # stop sometime
}
# Use with shift:
while ((my $p = shift @primes) < $limit) {
print "$p\n";
}
DESCRIPTION
An array that acts like the infinite set of primes. This may be more convenient than using
Math::Prime::Util directly, and in some cases it can be faster than calling "next_prime" and
"prev_prime".
If the access pattern is ascending or descending, then a window is sieved and results returned from the
window as needed. If the access pattern is random, then "nth_prime" is used.
Shifting acts like the array is losing elements at the front, so after two shifts, "$primes[0] == 5".
Unshift will move the internal shift index back one, unless given an argument which is the number to move
back (it silently truncates so it does not shift past the beginning). Example:
say shift @primes; # 2
say shift @primes; # 3
say shift @primes; # 5
say $primes[0]; # 7
unshift @primes; # back up one
say $primes[0]; # 5
unshift @primes, 2; # back up two
say $primes[0]; # 2
If you want sequential primes with low memory, I recommend using "forprimes" in Math::Prime::Util. It is
much faster, as the tied array functionality in Perl is not high performance. It isn't as flexible as
the prime array, but it is a very common pattern.
If you prefer an iterator pattern, I would recommend using "prime_iterator" in Math::Prime::Util. It
will be a bit faster than using this tied array, but of course you don't get random access. If you find
yourself using the "shift" operation, consider the iterator.
LIMITATIONS
The size of the array will always be shown as 2147483647 (IV32 max), even in a 64-bit environment where
primes through "2^64" are available.
There are some people that find the idea of shifting a prime array abhorrent, as after two shifts, "the
second prime is 7?!". If this bothers you, do not use "shift" on the tied array.
PERFORMANCE
MPU forprimes: forprimes { $sum += $_ } nth_prime(100_000);
MPU iterator: my $it = prime_iterator; $sum += $it->() for 1..100000;
MPU array: $sum += $_ for @{primes(nth_prime(100_000))};
MPUPA: tie my @primes, ...; $sum += $primes[$_] for 0..99999;
MNSP: my $seq = Math::NumSeq::Primes->new;
$sum += ($seq->next)[1] for 1..100000;
MPTA: tie my @primes, ...; $sum += $primes[$_] for 0..99999;
Memory use is comparing the delta between just loading the module and running the test. Perl 5.19.2,
Math::NumSeq v61, Math::Prime::TiedArray v0.04.
Summing the first 0.1M primes via walking the array:
7ms 52k Math::Prime::Util forprimes
140ms 0 Math::Prime::Util prime_iterator
12ms 4400k Math::Prime::Util sum big array
220ms 840k Math::Prime::Util::PrimeArray
130ms 280k Math::NumSeq::Primes sequence iterator
7560ms 65 MB Math::Prime::TiedArray (extend 1k)
Summing the first 1M primes via walking the array:
0.1s 300k Math::Prime::Util forprimes
1.8s 0 Math::Prime::Util prime_iterator
0.2s 40 MB Math::Prime::Util sum big array
1.9s 1.1MB Math::Prime::Util::PrimeArray
7.5s 1.2MB Math::NumSeq::Primes sequence iterator
110.5s 785 MB Math::Prime::TiedArray (extend 1k)
Summing the first 10M primes via walking the array:
0.8s 5.9MB Math::Prime::Util forprimes
22.4s 0 Math::Prime::Util prime_iterator
1.5s 368 MB Math::Prime::Util sum big array
19.1s 1.2MB Math::Prime::Util::PrimeArray
3680 s 11.1MB Math::NumSeq::Primes sequence iterator
>5000 MB Math::Primes::TiedArray (extend 1k)
Math::Prime::Util offers three obvious solutions: a big array, an iterator, and the "forprimes"
construct. The big array is fast but uses a lot of memory, forcing the user to start programming
segments. Using the iterator avoids all the memory use, but isn't as fast (this may improve in a later
release, as this is a new feature). The "forprimes" construct is by far the fastest, but it isn't quite
as flexible as the iterator (most notably there is no way to exit early, and it doesn't lend itself to
wrapping inside a filter).
Math::NumSeq::Primes offers an iterator alternative, and works quite well for reasonably small numbers.
It does not support random access. It is very fast for small values, but is very slow with large counts.
Math::Primes::TiedArray is remarkably impractical for anything other than very small numbers.
SEE ALSO
This module uses Math::Prime::Util to do all the work. If you're doing anything but retrieving primes,
you should examine that module to see if it has functionality you can use directly, as it may be a lot
faster or easier.
Similar functionality can be had from Math::NumSeq and Math::Prime::TiedArray.
AUTHORS
Dana Jacobsen <dana@acm.org>
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2012-2013 by Dana Jacobsen <dana@acm.org> This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.