Information about Sieve

In general, a sieve separates wanted/desired elements from unwanted material using a tool such as a mesh, net or other filtration or distillation methods. The word "sift" derives from this term. A strainer is a type of sieve typically associated with separating liquids from solids.

Sieve may mean:

Cooking

• a colander, a (typically) bowl-shaped sieve used as a strainer in cooking
• a chinoise, or conical sieve used as a strainer, also sometimes used like a food mill.
• a tamis, also known as a drum sieve
• a zaru, or bamboo sieve, used in Japanese cooking
• a flour sifter, used in baking
• a cocktail strainer, a bar accessory

Chemistry

• in transport phenomena, see sieving coefficient
• in the mining industry, a mesh used to separate fine particles from coarse ones

(see also: Filter)

Mathematics

• in sieve theory, a technique for counting or filtering sets of numbers
• sieve of Eratosthenes
• general number field sieve
• large sieve
• a sieve (category theory), a way of writing down how objects in a category glue to give other one

Computer science

• Sieve (mail filtering language), a proposed standard for specifying mail filters

Other uses

• a stainless steel strainer, used in plumbing
• in metaphor and simile, sieve may often be used to refer to things that are leaky, as a sieve used for a bowl.
• In particular, in hockey, a goaltender who lets a lot of goals through is sometimes compared to a sieve. (In college hockey students chant the word sieve at the opposite goalie)
• On rivers, a sieve or strainer is a dangerous obstacle that water can pass through, but people cannot. See Obstacle in whitewater canoing
• the Sieve, a river in Italy
• A goalie who has a large amount of goals scored against.