Random sequence

The entries of this sequence are computer-generated pseudo-random integers in a specified range. Each integer in the range is equally likely. There is not intended to be any correlation between successive entries of the sequence, but pseudo-random generators vary in quality and the authors of Numberscope have not tested the one used here for its serial independence or other measures of quality of randomness.

Note that the particular entries of an instance of this sequence remain fixed as you change the parameters of the visualizer, or use the "restart" button in the Numberscope title bar. They also remain fixed if you change the first index, last index, or number of terms to use.

They are re-sampled (and so any or all of the entries may change) if you reload the web page (with your browser's reload button, or by re-opening the same URL) or if you change the upper or lower limits that may be selected.

If you want a (pseudo)random sequence that will be the same every time you load the page (maybe you want to send your visualization to a friend and make sure that they see exactly the same thing that you do), you can insert the setting randomSeed=XXXXX& just after the ? in the URL (note the XXXXX can be any characters you like -- you can try different possibilities until you get results that you're comfortable with). You just type this additional setting directly into the URL bar of your browser; there's currently nowhere to specify the randomSeed in the Numberscope user interface.

Parameters

  • Minimum value: The smallest integer that may occur as an entry of this random sequence. Note this value will possibly occur; one less than it will never occur.
  • Maximum value: The largest integer that may occur as an entry of this random sequence. Note this value will possibly occur; one more than it will never occur.

Plus the standard parameters for all formulas:

  • First index: the first index of the sequence to use in visualization. Many sequences have a smallest available index; if so, that number will be the default value for thus parameter. Otherwise, the default will be zero.
  • Last index: the index of the last entry of the sequence to use in visualization. Similarly, many sequences have a largest available index, which will become the default value for this parameter. If not, the default is Infinity, which means that the visualizer may continue to request more and more terms indefinitely.
  • Number of terms: the number of terms of the sequence to use in visualization. Of course, the number of terms must be the last index, minus the first index, plus one. So this parameter and the previous two can not actually be independently set. What will happen in practice is that changing any one of them will automatically change the value of one of the others to keep things consistent. The default value for this parameter is determined by the first and last index.