Randomness
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Since chance is hap, the root of happy, it would seem that randomness, a type of chance, might have a happy etymology. Not so. Likely ancestors of the word "random" are found in Anglo-Norman, Old French, and Middle French and include ''randoun, raundun, raundoun, randon, randun,'' and ''rendon'' -- words indicating speed, impulsiveness, and violence. These predecessor words are found beginning around the 12th century and probably derive from ''randir,'' to run fast or gallop. Bumper stickers implore drivers to "practice random acts of kindness," but only because people in our culture fear random acts of violence so much that another phrase has become so ingrained that it can be punned upon -- and at a deeper level, perhaps, because the speed and violence of other vehicles are to be feared. While today it might be harmless for us to encounter "a random" (a person unknown to us, according to the Jargon File) sitting in the computer lab exploring a system at random, a "random encounter" centuries ago was much more likely to resemble a violent random encounter in ''Dungeons & Dragons.'' For instance, it could have been a figure on horseback hurtling through a village, trampling and slaughtering whoever he can reach. | Since chance is hap, the root of happy, it would seem that randomness, a type of chance, might have a happy etymology. Not so. Likely ancestors of the word "random" are found in Anglo-Norman, Old French, and Middle French and include ''randoun, raundun, raundoun, randon, randun,'' and ''rendon'' -- words indicating speed, impulsiveness, and violence. These predecessor words are found beginning around the 12th century and probably derive from ''randir,'' to run fast or gallop. Bumper stickers implore drivers to "practice random acts of kindness," but only because people in our culture fear random acts of violence so much that another phrase has become so ingrained that it can be punned upon -- and at a deeper level, perhaps, because the speed and violence of other vehicles are to be feared. While today it might be harmless for us to encounter "a random" (a person unknown to us, according to the Jargon File) sitting in the computer lab exploring a system at random, a "random encounter" centuries ago was much more likely to resemble a violent random encounter in ''Dungeons & Dragons.'' For instance, it could have been a figure on horseback hurtling through a village, trampling and slaughtering whoever he can reach. | ||
| − | In centuries past, before the age of enlightenment, randomness was a nightmare. Throughout its history, the word "random" has had some interesting meanings that became obsolete before the scientific and mathematical meaning became primary. One of these is the degree of elevation of a gun that can be used to maximize the range. Another is a board used by compositors to stpre type as pages are made up during the printing process. These particular randoms, used properly, both kill opponents and facilitate the process of textual composition. The RND found in 10 PRINT operates more in the compositional mode, selecting one of two character graphics for display on the screen via the PRINT command, which was originally made for putting ink on paper. But the very existence of RND in the Commodore 64 does have certain connections to speed, violence, the military, and laying waste. | + | In centuries past, before the age of enlightenment, randomness was a nightmare. Throughout its history, the word "random" has had some interesting meanings that became obsolete before the scientific and mathematical meaning became primary. One of these is the degree of elevation of a gun that can be used to maximize the range. Another is a board used by compositors to stpre type as pages are made up during the printing process. These particular randoms, used properly, both kill opponents and facilitate the process of textual composition. The RND found in 10 PRINT operates more in the compositional mode, selecting one of two character graphics for display on the screen via the PRINT command, which was originally made for putting ink on paper. But the very existence of RND in the Commodore 64 does have certain connections to speed, violence, the military, and devastation. |
Random elements have played a role through millennia of culture in games of chance and divination. The roll of a die and toss of coin have long foretold the fortunes of men. The birth and proliferation of science was imagined, initially, to engender a more rational world view. Through Aristotle to Galileo to Newton, classical mechanics defined the universe as a defined system without random actions. Communications theory redefined noise as a random signal of measurable bounds which can be characterized and filtered out. While Einstein declared that "God does not play dice," probability and statistics has been extremely important to our scientific understanding of the world from the 20th century on. And, in 1897, poet Stephane Mallarme declared, in French, that "a throw of the dice does not abolish chance" -- presaging the importance than randomness and chance operations would have in the next century and beyond. | Random elements have played a role through millennia of culture in games of chance and divination. The roll of a die and toss of coin have long foretold the fortunes of men. The birth and proliferation of science was imagined, initially, to engender a more rational world view. Through Aristotle to Galileo to Newton, classical mechanics defined the universe as a defined system without random actions. Communications theory redefined noise as a random signal of measurable bounds which can be characterized and filtered out. While Einstein declared that "God does not play dice," probability and statistics has been extremely important to our scientific understanding of the world from the 20th century on. And, in 1897, poet Stephane Mallarme declared, in French, that "a throw of the dice does not abolish chance" -- presaging the importance than randomness and chance operations would have in the next century and beyond. | ||
