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Q: Whats more random?
Submitted By: Hergio, 34 days, 10 hours and 42 seconds ago
What's more random; a random number or two random numbers added together?
Please try not to post duplicate answers... if you see an answer that you want to post, just add a vote to it and you can add a note as well. Thank You
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There has been research...
Submitted By: I wish I knew ( 34 days, 5 hours, 1 minute ago )
There has been some research suggesting that two random numbers added together in a matrix creates orderly space. Though still unpredictable in any given area the study suggested an even distributioon on the whole of orderliness.
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2
Submitted By: J-mo
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1
Don't add
Submitted By: PT&S ( 32 days, 2 hours, 23 minutes ago )
One way to interpret your question is to think of "random number" as referring to a uniformly distributed number in [0,1]. So you might be asking whether to get this by a single random or by adding two and dividing in half. The Law of Large Numbers should tell you that as you keep averaging, the answer zeros on a single number (the mean), losing its randomness.
More precisely, if X ~ Unif(0,1) and Y likewise but independent of X, then they each have probability density 1 on the range [0,1]. Then Z = X Y has probability density f(z) = z for z in [0,1] and f(z) = 2-z for z in [1,2]. In other words, the distribution concentrates around 1, the midpoint.
More precisely, if X ~ Unif(0,1) and Y likewise but independent of X, then they each have probability density 1 on the range [0,1]. Then Z = X Y has probability density f(z) = z for z in [0,1] and f(z) = 2-z for z in [1,2]. In other words, the distribution concentrates around 1, the midpoint.
Submitted By: PT&S
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They are equally random
Submitted By: ljb ( 34 days, 4 hours, 55 minutes ago )
According to the laws of probability, all numbers are equally random
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Better off with just a single random number
When you are programming and wish a random number, the best you can do is simulate this. You generate a random number by starting with a seed number and putting that through an algorithm designed to be as unpredictable as possible while also being equally likely to be any number in a range. The returned random number then becomes your seed for your next run. It is hard to design such an algorithm, and so the prudent choice is to use a published algorithm. When you modify the algorithm in even a simple way such as you suggest by adding two such numbers together you are likely to have unintended consequences. Two numbers added together can now fall outside your range and smaller numbers may become a little less likely than larger numbers.