Talk:Probabilistic choice: Difference between revisions

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== "Random" vs. "Pseudorandom" ==

Not one solution on this page (at least among those that I have been able to read; I admit that J, for example, reads like Greek to me) uses actual random numbers. They all use pseudorandom numbers of one stripe or another. This distinction is more important than ever with the advent of '''actual''' random number services online (Random.org, LavaRnd, and HotBits, among others), one might reasonably take the task specification literally and mark every solution as incorrect. What I have done instead is to change the text of the task from "generate a million items ''randomly'' subject to" into "generate a million items ''randomly'' (or, more likely, ''pseudorandomly'') subject to". I think this clarification makes things "right". Thoughts? --[[User:Balrog|Balrog]] 17:25, 16 April 2011 (UTC)

Not one solution on this page (at least among those that I have been able to read; I admit that J, for example, reads like Greek to me) uses actual random <s>numbers</s>number generation. They all use pseudorandom <s>numbers</s>number generation of one stripe or another. This distinction is more important than ever with the advent of '''actual''' random <s>number</s>number generation services online (Random.org, LavaRnd, and HotBits, among others), one might reasonably take the task specification literally and mark every solution as incorrect. What I have done instead is to change the text of the task from "generate a million items ''randomly'' subject to" into "generate a million items ''randomly'' (or, more likely, ''pseudorandomly'') subject to". I think this clarification makes things "right". Thoughts? --[[User:Balrog|Balrog]] 17:25, 16 April 2011 (UTC)

:The distinction you make doesn't seem to me to merit making as random is commonly used to include pseudo-random unless the difference matters.

:The task shouldn't distinguish between - and still, with your changes, doesn't distinguish between the use of random and pseudo-random numbers. As you have noted by the uniformity of the results, the task description was adequate for those authors of the ~30 existing language solutions. I don't think it would hinder your submission of another languages solution. --[[User:Paddy3118|Paddy3118]] 18:15, 16 April 2011 (UTC)

::"Anyone who considers arithmetical methods of producing random digits is, of course, in a state of sin." -John von Neumann :-) In any case, I pointed out above why I thought the difference matters. --[[User:Balrog|Balrog]] 20:06, 16 April 2011 (UTC)

:So, ok, my thought was: is 1 a random number? --[[User:Rdm|Rdm]] 18:00, 16 April 2011 (UTC)

::HA! Good one. No, I was of course not being precise enough in my speech, and you caught me. Randomness or pseudorandomness is a characteristic of number selection or number generation, not of numbers themselves. I have corrected my original comment. --[[User:Balrog|Balrog]] 20:06, 16 April 2011 (UTC)