Random Precision

[jefu]

In article <170 at codas.UUCP> mikel at codas.UUCP (Mikel Manitius) writes:
>I have heard many times that people like the number 17, because it is
>"the most random number", I find this statement illogical, as how can
>one number be "more random" than another, unless they mean that this
>number will occurr most offten when generating "random numbers".

17 is not the most random number, it is the ONLY random number.  
The proof is by enumeration of possible random numbers...

Clearly any number 10 or less is too small.
Equally clearly any number 20 or greater is too large.
Irrationals are out, as they are, well, irrational.
Fractions are hardly random, as the number of possible representations 
biases things too much.

So, we are left with the integers 11-19.

11 is the same digit repeated and this is obviously not good.
12 is the product of two consecutive integers and therefore is special and
cant be random.
13 is unlucky, and who would ever want an unlucky random number.
14 is more complicated.  1+4=5, 14=7*2, 7-2=5.  And this is far too interesting
a property to ever allow 14 to be random.
15 is the product of the first two odd primes.  Clearly out.
16 is a square.  Nope.
17 is random.
18 is 9*2 and thus has many interesting bad (for randomness) properties.
19 is too close to 20.

Thus, 17 is random, and is the only random number.

If you remain unconvinced, The three great proof techniques are canonically
invoked.  
First.  Proof by dudgeon.  "Believe or ill have a screaming fit."
Second.  Proot by luncheon. "If i buy you lunch will you believe?"
Third.  Proof by bludgeon.  "Believe or i will hit you over the head with 
                             this 2 by 4."
			
Now we can begin to generate all the pseudo-random numbers :
34=2*17, 51...
.1717171717171717171717...
and so forth.


Sigh.  This didnt (indeed) belong in net.unix-wizards.  But i couldnt resist.
Followup to net.math.
-- 
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