33. Selecting a pseudo-random number generator
When we flip a coin or roll the dice, we say that we see “true” or “natural” randomness at work. Even so, there are tools that pretend they are capable of predicting the path of flipping a coin, rolling dice, or spinning a roulette wheel, especially if some contextual conditions are met.
Computers can generate random numbers using algorithms via the so-called random generators. Since algorithms are involved, the generated numbers are considered pseudo-random. This is known as “pseudo”-randomness. Obviously, pseudo-random numbers are also predictable. How so?
A pseudo-random generator starts its job by seeding data. This is the generator’s secret (the seed), and it represents a piece of data used as the starting point to generate pseudo-random numbers. If we know how the algorithm works and what the seed was, then the output is predictable. Without knowing the seed, the rate of predictability...