Random number generator

About tool

A random number is a number chosen from a pool of limited or unlimited numbers that has no discernible pattern for prediction. The pool of numbers is almost always independent from each other. However, the pool of numbers may follow a specific distribution.

For example, the height of the students in a school tends to follow a normal distribution around the median height. If the height of a student is picked at random, the picked number has higher chance to be closer to the median height than being classified as very tall or very short.

The random number generators above assume that the numbers generated are independent of each other, and will be evenly spread across the whole range of possible values.

An online random number generator, like the ones above, is a tool that can generate one or many random numbers within a defined scope. Random number generators can be hardware based or pseudo-random number generators. Hardware based random-number generators can involve the use of a dice, a coin for flipping, or many other devices.

Where to use?

Random numbers have been used for many thousands of years. Whether it’s flipping a coin or rolling a dice, the goal is to leave the end result up to random chance. Random number generators in a computer are similar — they’re an attempt to achieve an unpredictable, random result.

Random number generators are useful for many different purposes. Aside from obvious applications like generating random numbers for the purposes of gambling or creating unpredictable results in a computer game, randomness is important for cryptography.