5.6.1 Exact Random Numbers

(require 'random)

Function: random n state

Function: random n

n must be an exact positive integer. random returns an exact integer between zero (inclusive) and n (exclusive). The values returned by random are uniformly distributed from 0 to n.

The optional argument state must be of the type returned by (seed->random-state) or (make-random-state). It defaults to the value of the variable *random-state*. This object is used to maintain the state of the pseudo-random-number generator and is altered as a side effect of calls to random.

Variable: *random-state*

Holds a data structure that encodes the internal state of the random-number generator that random uses by default. The nature of this data structure is implementation-dependent. It may be printed out and successfully read back in, but may or may not function correctly as a random-number state object in another implementation.

Function: copy-random-state state

Returns a new copy of argument state.

Function: copy-random-state

Returns a new copy of *random-state*.

Function: seed->random-state seed

Returns a new object of type suitable for use as the value of the variable *random-state* or as a second argument to random. The number or string seed is used to initialize the state. If seed->random-state is called twice with arguments which are equal?, then the returned data structures will be equal?. Calling seed->random-state with unequal arguments will nearly always return unequal states.

Function: make-random-state

Function: make-random-state obj

Returns a new object of type suitable for use as the value of the variable *random-state* or as a second argument to random. If the optional argument obj is given, it should be a printable Scheme object; the first 50 characters of its printed representation will be used as the seed. Otherwise the value of *random-state* is used as the seed.