What does pseudo-random numbers actually mean? Find out inside PCMag's comprehensive tech and computer-related encyclopedia.

A truly random number is something that is surprisingly difficult to generate. A typical approach is to generate the required element of chance from a natural and unpredictable source, such as ...

Random numbers are crucial for computing, but our current algorithms aren’t truly random. Researchers at Brown University have now found a way to tap into the fluctuations of quasiparticles to ...

Making random numbers that are actually random is actually a tough nut to crack. Most of what we do is, technically, pseudo-random (but we’ll say random number and assume you know what we mean).

What they have created is an algorithm which ensures that seemingly random numbers really are as random as they look.

One algorithm, a pseudo-random bit generator, Dual_EC_DRBG, was ratified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2007 and is attracting a lot of attention for having a ...

Often the default seed value for a pseudo-random number generator is something like the current time converted to a number.

In the Swiss experiment, the camera was used to create a 1.25 Gbit/s stream of random numbers. One worry about any random-number generator is that the numbers could be influenced in a predictable way ...

Cryptography, too, relies heavily on random numbers for the generation of unbreakable keys. Better, cheaper ways of generating and handling such numbers are therefore always welcome.