Random.org
Encyclopedia
Random.org is a website
that produces "true" random number
s based on atmospheric noise
.
In addition to generating random numbers, it has free tools to do things such as flip coins, shuffle cards, and roll dice. It also offers paid services to generate sequences of random numbers and act as a third-party arbiter for raffles, sweepstakes, and promotions.
The website was created in 1997 by Mads Haahr,
a doctor and computer science professor at Trinity College
in Dublin, Ireland
. Random numbers are generated based on atmospheric noise captured by several radios tuned between stations.
By 2004 it had generated more than 61 billion random numbers.
01100011100000000101010001000001111100010111000101001010...
Whenever a random result is requested, the bits are used to generate the result. The simplest instance of a random result on the site is the coin toss. The coin toss requires just one bit at a time. If the bit is 0, the coin would be reverse (tails) and if the bit is 1, the coin would be obverse (heads).
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that produces "true" random number
Random number
Random number may refer to:* A number generated for or part of a set exhibiting statistical randomness.* A random sequence obtained from a stochastic process.* An algorithmically random sequence in algorithmic information theory....
s based on atmospheric noise
Atmospheric noise
Atmospheric noise is radio noise caused by natural atmospheric processes, primarily lightning discharges in thunderstorms. On a worldwide scale, eight million lightning discharges per day — about 100 lightning flashes per second.-History:...
.
In addition to generating random numbers, it has free tools to do things such as flip coins, shuffle cards, and roll dice. It also offers paid services to generate sequences of random numbers and act as a third-party arbiter for raffles, sweepstakes, and promotions.
The website was created in 1997 by Mads Haahr,
a doctor and computer science professor at Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Random numbers are generated based on atmospheric noise captured by several radios tuned between stations.
By 2004 it had generated more than 61 billion random numbers.
Bits
A bit is a number that can equal 0 or 1. There are several Random.org generators that generate 3,000 bits per second. The generators produce a continual string of bits. An example of a string of bits is:01100011100000000101010001000001111100010111000101001010...
Whenever a random result is requested, the bits are used to generate the result. The simplest instance of a random result on the site is the coin toss. The coin toss requires just one bit at a time. If the bit is 0, the coin would be reverse (tails) and if the bit is 1, the coin would be obverse (heads).
Quota
To make sure nobody places unfair demands on the system, a limit to the number of bits supplied to a particular user is enforced. Every 24 hours, up to 200,000 bits are added to each IP Address' quota. Once 1,000,000 bits have been added to the quota, no more will be added. One can buy different amounts of quota top-offs in order to raise their quota, in which case the 1,000,000-bit limit is no longer enforced.External links
- HTTP client implementations for various programming languages.