The perfect gift for the cook/mathematician.
-- hippo, Mar 31 2011

Mmm.. selects only the primest of all numbers. http://en.wikipedia...eve_of_Eratosthenes
[rcarty, Mar 31 2011]

Procrustes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrustes
[MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 02 2011]

Like it, but it would take 4 shakes to let out the first grain of rice, then another 2 for the next one, and then another 2 for the next, and then you'd get one for the next 2 shakes...
-- zen_tom, Mar 31 2011


Could be - I was imagining it to be a square sieve with 10,000 holes in a 100x100 grid, but with some of the holes (i.e. the primes) blocked, in a "Sieve of Eratosthenes" pattern.
-- hippo, Mar 31 2011


Well that would be a simpler way of doing it I suppose!
-- zen_tom, Mar 31 2011


I have no idea what the Sieve of Eratosthenes is, but I hope the holes don't get blocked up as easily as they do on the one in my kitchen. Can you buy it in Steamer?
-- DrBob, Mar 31 2011


That spiral thing.
-- nineteenthly, Mar 31 2011


How big is it?
-- Dub, Mar 31 2011


Global!
-- xenzag, Mar 31 2011


but if I only get primes, I won't be able to divide recipes if I want to make less
-- EdwinBakery, Mar 31 2011


but if you filter out all the prime numeraled grains of rice, how do you keep track of all the grains? Isn't just a new pile of rice?

Does prime numbered food cook faster? Or maybe it tastes better?
-- EdwinBakery, Mar 31 2011


Both, according to marketing.
-- RayfordSteele, Mar 31 2011


The PR folks at BUNGCO forsee trouble with "Eratosthenes". Many Americans spit a lot when saying it. They propose shortening it to "Erato" or "Eroto".
-- bungston, Mar 31 2011


Ah! This explains a long-standing mystery. I was wondering why "Steve of Eratosthenes" was so famous.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 31 2011


I know Erato, but who's Steve.
-- pashute, Mar 31 2011


/who's Steve/

Sieve, and i went out for t.
-- bungston, Mar 31 2011


ohhhhh, so THAT's why they call it "prime" rib
-- EdwinBakery, Apr 01 2011


(+) Still takes second place to the Collender of Cleomedes though.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 02 2011


Serve on a Bed of Procrustes.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 02 2011


Just to be picky, the sieve of Eratosthenes is an algorithm for finding the primes, not the pattern of primes itself. A true SoEs ought to behave as [zen tom] first suggested.

Alternatively, with each shake a bit of metal could fall out into your cake mix, representing each composite as it is eliminated, and adding a fresh hole to the sieve.
-- spidermother, Apr 09 2011



random, halfbakery