In many applications, the deterministic process is a computer algorithm called a pseudorandom number generator, which must first be provided with a number called a random seed. Since these processes are not practical sources of random numbers, psuedorandom numbers are used, which ideally have the unpredictability of a truly random sequence, despite being generated by a deterministic process. Some notable exceptions are radioactive decay and quantum measurement, which are both modeled as being truly random processes in the underlying physics. In physics, however, most processes, such as gravitational acceleration, are deterministic, meaning that they always produce the same outcome from the same starting point. The generation of random numbers has many uses, such as for random sampling, Monte Carlo methods, board games, or gambling. Appearing random but actually being generated by a deterministic, causal processĪ pseudorandom sequence of numbers is one that appears to be statistically random, despite having been produced by a completely deterministic and repeatable process.
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