How random
numbers are generated in our computers? Are they really random?
Random
numbers have been used by people for ages. According to the current
archaeological research one of the oldest known dices were discovered in a 24th
century B.C. tomb in the Middle East. So in general it is not any new concept
as some people may think.
Usage of
random numbers is really wide. They are used in cryptography, simulations,
computer games and of course in a gambling. But there is much more examples. In
these days and age where computers are dominating and their role grows pretty
fast, also as a result a question is being formulated – how do they cope with
generating random numbers? If they are so powerful these days that should be a
piece of cake for them. Are they really powerful enough to do this? Let’s find
out.
Please
watch the following video and answer the questions.
Questions:
1. Did you know how „random” numbers
are generated by computers (algorithms)? According to the video what is the
difference between random and pseudo random numbers?
2. Have you ever meet with the ‘seed’
term?
3. Do you know any other methods not
mentioned in the video to obtain truly random sequences?
Sources and some additional informations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtOt7EBNEwQ
https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/can-a-computer-generate-a-truly-random-number/
https://tashian.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-random-numbers/
Images used in article
https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2018-01/images/2017-12/processed/roman-era-dice_1024.jpg
https://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/video-poker-gambling-randomness.jpg
Comments
2. I have also met the "seed" term. It is often used in 3D graphics. For example, when you render an animation you can also animate the seed. This provides a random generation of virtual rays that calculate the final image. Animated seed can generate similar noise that is present in traditional movies.
3. I heard that sometimes random numbers are generated from signals from space and in electronics from the Hi-Z state (the state between logical 0 and 1). Unfortunately, I don't know any other methods.
1. Yes, I know how pseudorandom numbers are generated on computers and servers. I also know that there are free accesible internet random number generators in which the "seed" is generated by quantum computers working in research centers and universities around the world, using quantum physics to generate numbers considered according to today's science to be truly random. However from the user's point of view, there is no difference in getting a random number from an algorithm running on a remote private server and a magic number coming from a quantum computer.
2. Yes. The concept of "seed" in the context of generating random numbers and cryptography has been known to me for many years. Of course, the name of the video game "Minecraft" should appear here, in which the world is generated using the "seed"
3. Any method of observing natural phenomena that happen very quickly and it is difficult to recover data on the past behavior of given systems would be a good material for a pseudorandom number generator.
According to quantum physics - thats a very good point.
Reffering to your second answer - basically, I mostly agree with your opinion, but it depends of the future usage of that number, which we obtained from such a service.
2. Yup, as one of the previous readers have mentioned, video game "Minecraft" uses seeds to generate worlds. I think I've also seen it in some computer graphics applications, but I'm not sure about that.
3. Pretty much everything that's happening in nature and measurable is a good seed. Choosing an unusual one is also an additional security measure in itself, because if the source of the seed is unknown, it's harder to replicate.
Yes of course. If I remember correctly, there was one whole lecture on this subject in the first year. pseudo-random numbers have a finite number of combinations which makes them not completely random.
2.Have you ever meet with the ‘seed’ term?
Yes, but I do not fully understand this topic. I know minecraft fans have spent a lot of time and computing power on their computers to find the seed that was used to generate the world from the game menu screen.
3.Do you know any other methods not mentioned in the video to obtain truly random sequences?
I've never been interested in that, so no.
Yes I have watched 1 video many years ago. Pseudo-Random numbers don't have an infinite count of their combinations - so they are not random in 1000%.
2.Have you ever meet with the ‘seed’ term?
No I havent.
3.Do you know any other methods not mentioned in the video to obtain truly random sequences?
I have never been interested in this topic so I cant say anything about other methods to obtain truly random sequences.