Most people treat Excel as a rigid calculator, completely missing its capacity for chaos. Excel's built-in randomization tools can generate numbers, shuffle existing lists, and build mock timelines in ...

Researchers in Switzerland claim to have built a perfect random number generator from two quantum superconducting chips, a 30-meter-long pipe, and some software. The resulting device could be used to ...

The quest for true randomness has roots in cryptography and is a rabbit hole that gets surprisingly deep with alarmingly rapidity. Still, the generation of random-enough numbers is a popular hacker ...

An algorithm and coding technique is presented for quick evaluation of the Lehmer pseudo-random number generator modulo 2 ** 31 - 1, a prime Mersenne number which produces 2 ** 31 - 2 numbers, on a ...

Adding numbers to your passwords makes them more secure. In fact, most sites and services these days require alphanumeric passwords at the very least. Some people ...

Researchers have developed a chip-based quantum random number generator that provides high-speed, high-quality operation on a miniaturized platform. This advance could help move quantum random number ...

A new 48-bit pseudo-random number generator, suitable for several computers, was tested statistically for randomness to determine its adequacy for use in Monte Carlo programs. Frequency tests, ...

Abstract: In this brief we propose two pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) based on the discrete Arnold cat map (DACM) over the integer ring $\mathbb {Z}_{2^{m}}$ . The first PRNG employs ...

Scientists at NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder have created CURBy, a cutting-edge quantum randomness beacon that draws on the intrinsic unpredictability of quantum entanglement to produce ...

Trust, but verify: Random number generation is a serious matter in modern computing. Most systems rely on a purely hardware-based approach to RNG, but the process is essentially impossible to verify ...

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

If your name gets picked for jury duty, it’s because a computer used a random number generator to select it. The same goes for tax audits or when you opt for a quick pick lottery ticket. But how can ...