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More pseudo random number generators for calculators
07-09-2020, 07:35 PM
Post: #6
RE: More pseudo random number generators for calculators
(07-09-2020 11:19 AM)Albert Chan Wrote:  Hi, Namir

Some algorithms you tested might get stuck, even with non-zero fractional part guess

Example, say with 12 digits calculator:

r = 0.999 999 999
r = frac(997/r)     → r = frac(997.000000 997000000 997000000 ...) = .000 000 997
r = frac(997/r)     → r = 0
r = frac(997/r)     → r = NaN

To avoid rounding errrors like above, multiply based versions is safer.
With 15 digits internal precision, and 3 digits factor k, r = frac(k*r) is guaranteed exact.

This may be why baseline use r = frac(997*r)

You certainly have a point. However, in each "run" I would generate a billion random numbers and I never had a runtime error. So the likelihood of getting a random number very close to 1 is small. Of course dealing with floating point number depends on many aspects of the software being used.
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RE: More pseudo random number generators for calculators - Namir - 07-09-2020 07:35 PM



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