Random, but not by chance: A new kind of random number generator

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/04/14/random.not.chance

by ascuttlefish • 16 years ago

5 3 16 years ago

clayrab2• 16 years ago

How is this better than existing technology? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_random_number_generato...

coderdude• 16 years ago

The article answers that question, if you had bothered to read it. Current hardware RNGs rely on Newtonian physics and generate numbers which -- if you had sufficient knowledge of starting conditions -- you could predict. The method described in the article uses quantum entanglement to produce completely unpredictable numbers.

clayrab2• 16 years ago

Wow, you're both douchy and wrong. The article doesn't say anything about the techonology which I linked to. Did YOU "bother to read it"?

The article says that Newtonian physics does not allow any randomness, which is fairly obvious and has nothing to do with the hardware I'm asking about.

The article also discusses 'pseudo-random number generators', which, I'm assuming since this is HN, you know are purely software-based.

The Wikipedia page which I linked to, claims that currently used hardware uses 'thermal noise' and 'other quantum phenomena', which you might have realized "if you had bothered to read it".

If you don't mind now, I was really hoping to learn something about a technology which I am sincerely interested in.

Random, but not by chance: A new kind of random number generator

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