|
PureBytes Links
Trading Reference Links
|
Joe:
A couple of decades ago I used a random number generator in which you put in
a seed number, any number, and a maximum number. The program had been
developed for generating random numbers from a personnel, voting, membership
or whatever list. The program then generated a random set of numbers none
larger than the maximum number that was specified in the input. Each
generated number was the seed for the next number.
Lionel
-----Original Message-----
From: Arsk0jn@xxxxxxx <Arsk0jn@xxxxxxx>
To: metastock@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <metastock@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Arsk0jn@xxxxxxx <Arsk0jn@xxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, November 04, 1998 11:08 AM
Subject: Re: Random Number Generation
>Every computer random number system that I've seen use alogrithms that
require
>a "seed number" to generate the number set. It's a Catch-22 situation. A
>random seed number is needed to generate a random set of numbers but if you
>could generate a random seed number you wouldn't need the algorithm to
>generate the random number set. A rather amusing situation came up a number
of
>years ago at the place I worked. The company instituted a "random" drug
test
>program. Those that were chosen to be tested (mostly union employees) were
>selected from the payroll list using a "random" number computer generated
>system. The same names kept coming up and the union charged the company
with
>harassment of these individuals. I was in the maintenance department at the
>time but mentioned to the head of personnel that it appeared that the
computer
>department was not changing the "seed number" in their program. He said
that
>he would look into it. He later told me that that was not the case but the
>problem suddenly corrected itself and different people were selected for
>testing. I'm sure it had nothing to do with it but when the head of the
>computer department retired I was asked to take his job. I guess my masters
>degree in applied mathematics paid off in more than just my investment
>analysis.
>Good investing.
>Joe Nemecek
>
|