Random.org (stylized asRANDOM.ORG) is awebsite that producesrandom numbers based onatmospheric noise.[1]In addition to generating random numbers in a specified range and subject to a specifiedprobability distribution, which is the most commonly done activity on the site, it has free tools to simulate events such as flipping coins, shuffling cards, and rolling dice. It also offers paid services to generate longer sequences of random numbers and act as a third-party arbiter for raffles,sweepstakes, and promotions. Random.org is distinguished frompseudo-random number generators, which use mathematical formulae to produce random-appearing numbers.[2][3]
 | |
 Random.org as of October, 2009 | |
Type of site | Web service |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Mads Haahr |
| Created by | Mads Haahr |
| URL | www |
| Registration | optional |
| Launched | 1998 |
| Current status | online |
The website was created in 1998 by Mads Haahr,[4][5]a doctor and computer science professor atTrinity College inDublin,Ireland. Random numbers are generated based on atmospheric noise captured by several radios tuned between stations.[6][7]
Bits
Abinary digit (bit) can be either 0 or 1. There are several Random.org radios located in Copenhagen, Dublin, and Ballsbridge, each generating 12,000 bits per second[8] from the atmospheric noise picked up.[9] The generators produce a continuous string of random bits which are converted into the form requested (integer, Gaussian distribution, etc.)
Quota
There are limits to the number of bits supplied to a particularIP address. A new user (identified by IP address) starts with a free-of-charge quota of 1,000,000 bits which is depleted every time bits are supplied, and topped up by 200,000 bits (or to 1,000,000 bits if the user has more than 800,000 bits remaining) every day at midnight UTC. Larger numbers of bits can be purchased.[10]
References
- ^O'Connell, Pamela LiCalzi (8 April 2004)."Lottery Numbers and Books With a Voice".New York Times. Archived fromthe original on 26 July 2009. Retrieved23 October 2009.
Other sites also offer true random numbers, said Mads Haahr, lecturer in computer science at Trinity College, Dublin
- ^Kassner, Michael (25 July 2016)."Encryption breakthrough: Scientists derive truly random numbers using two-source extractors".Tech Republic. Retrieved12 June 2021.
- ^Lynch, Peter (4 December 2018)."Random numbers plucked from the atmosphere".The Irish Times. Retrieved12 June 2021.
- ^McNichol, Tom (11 August 2003)."Totally Random".Wired. Conde Nast Publications. p. 2. Retrieved23 October 2009.
Mads Haahr, a lecturer in computer science at Trinity College in Dublin, designed the system
- ^Klarreich, Erica (4 December 2004)."Take a chance: scientists put randomness to work". Science News. Archived fromthe original on 23 October 2009.
Haahr's Web site [...] can generate up to 3,000 random numbers per second.
- ^Johnson, George (12 June 2001)."Connoisseurs of Chaos Offer A Valuable Product: Randomness".New York Times. Retrieved23 October 2009.
Random.org generates unpredictable sequences of data using a radio tuned between stations, harvesting the atmospheric noise
- ^Bialik, Carl (14 October 2009)."How Random Is the iPod's Shuffle?". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved23 October 2009.
- ^random.org: FAQ
- ^random.org: History
- ^"Your Quota". Random.org. Retrieved10 April 2021.
External links
- Official website
- HTTP client implementations for various programming languages.