13/04/2014
I present a very simple algorithm (visual sieve) for testing if a number is prime. The algorithm was first developed visually in a cellular automation manner. A data map is created from a simple recursive function or an equivalent criterion, from this map it is easy to find if a number is prime from the structure of it’s divisors. By checking from the dense end of the factor list the runtime is minimised. All primes up to \(14983\) were generated in a few seconds on a laptop.