primes

primes [FIRST_NUMBER [LAST_NUMBER]]

FIRST_NUMBER
    An optional starting number for the prime sequence. If provided, primes will be listed from this number onwards (inclusive). If omitted, the sequence starts from 2.

LAST_NUMBER
    An optional ending number for the prime sequence. If provided along with FIRST_NUMBER, primes will be listed up to this number (inclusive) within the specified range. If only LAST_NUMBER is given, it acts as the upper limit for primes starting from 2. If omitted, the sequence continues indefinitely.

The primes command is a utility designed to output a sequence of prime numbers. When invoked without arguments, it generates primes starting from 2 and continues indefinitely. If a single numeric argument N is provided, it lists all prime numbers up to and including N. When two numeric arguments, FIRST and LAST, are supplied, primes outputs all prime numbers within that specified range, inclusive.

This tool is useful for mathematical computations, number theory explorations, or generating test data requiring prime numbers.

The primes command is not a standard utility found on all Linux distributions by default. It is often provided by less common packages (e.g., miscutils, bsd-games, or specific math tools) or might be a standalone script. Its exact behavior and available command-line options (which are typically none, beyond positional arguments) can vary depending on the specific implementation. For prime factorization, the more commonly available factor(1) command is used.

For very large numbers or extensive ranges, the primes command can be computationally intensive and may take a significant amount of time and resources. The efficiency depends on the underlying primality testing algorithm used by the specific implementation (e.g., trial division, Sieve of Eratosthenes, Miller-Rabin).

By default, primes typically outputs one prime number per line, facilitating piping its output to other commands or scripts for further processing.

The concept of a dedicated 'primes' utility for generating sequences dates back to early Unix systems. While not a core GNU utility, simple primes implementations have existed in various forms across different Unix-like environments, often as part of specialized math libraries or educational packages. Its continued existence in some distributions reflects its niche utility for direct prime generation.

factor(1), bc(1), seq(1), prime(1)