Randomness

Today, randomness in computing retains its character of predictability yet within constraints. Its nature has been exploited for practical purposes, such as security and communication. For instance, random numbers are used in encryption processes to make login passwords more secure. Intriguingly, the algorithms used and even their source code may be fully explained and published, but the data remain secure. Why? Because the space which random numbers occupy is so mind-bogglingly large, that no human being or computer could ever traverse it completely. Imagine playing a guessing game with a friend from 1 to 10. You can guess the number pretty easily, right? But what if the range of possible numbers was as large as the number of grains of sand a beach? Could you ever try all of those possibilities? Maybe it isn't as intuitive as it could be, but after an afternoon of playing with the RND on the function in BASIC, you may find that it makes more sense than before. If you want to try it for yourself, consider this program, which is really only a modest variation of 10Print.

Today, randomness in computing retains its character of predictability yet within constraints. Its nature has been exploited for practical purposes, such as security and communication. For instance, random numbers are used in encryption processes to make login passwords more secure. Intriguingly, the algorithms used and even their source code may be fully explained and published, but the data remain secure. Why? Because the space which random numbers occupy is so mind-bogglingly large, that no human being or computer could ever traverse it completely. Imagine playing a guessing game with a friend from 1 to 10. You can guess the number pretty easily, right? But what if the range of possible numbers was as large as the number of grains of sand a beach? Could you ever try all of those possibilities? Maybe it isn't as intuitive as it could be, but after an afternoon of playing with the RND on the function in BASIC, you may find that it makes more sense than before. If you want to try it for yourself, consider this program, which is really only a modest variation of 10Print.

10 PRINT CHR$(205.6+rnd(1)*1);:GOTO 10

10 PRINT CHR$(205.6+rnd(1)*1);:GOTO 10

Or this program, a simple guessing game which gives you a feel for how large and hopeless the space of random numbers can be. Once you get the hang of it, try changing to 10 into 20 or 1000 and see how much longer it takes to win.

Or this program, a simple guessing game which gives you a feel for how large and hopeless the space of random numbers can be. Once you get the hang of it, try changing to 10 into 20 or 1000 and see how much longer it takes to win.