Re: Random numbers from random numbers... Re: [question] On thetopicof

[Kevin Shea <kev@d-cubed.co.uk>]

Laguna Loire wrote:
> ...
> One of my co-workers has mentioned or suggested I join the PRNG mailing
> list... (pseudo-random-number-generator). They have some pretty
> complicated algorithms which generates numbers that does a good job of
> mimicking random numbers with an extremely long period before looping
> occurs.
> ...
> I don't mean to try to predict the numbers, but with pseudo-random
> numbers, the pattern is predictable eventually or in part. Trying to find
> some way of altering the level of noise/randomness introduced.
> 

I've remembered which article I read a year or two back. Check out
"Testing Random Number Generators" by Jerry Dwyer and K.B. Williams in
"C/C++ Users Journal" June 1996 (Vol 14, #6). Theres a part 2 as well
in #8. Used to be a fairly good magazine back then ...

These were really good articles on the properties of various generator
routines and discussed both the various properties of the generated
sequences and better ways to use the sequences to get the numbers in
the correct range.

You should be able to get back-issues from their site
http://www.cuj.com/

I also seem to remember Knuth writing about them as well (is there
anything
he *didn't* write about?)

Kev
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