Class: Random

Inherits:
Object show all
Defined in:
random.c,
random.c

Overview

Random provides an interface to Ruby’s pseudo-random number generator, or PRNG. The PRNG produces a deterministic sequence of bits which approximate true randomness. The sequence may be represented by integers, floats, or binary strings.

The generator may be initialized with either a system-generated or user-supplied seed value by using Random.srand.

The class method Random.rand provides the base functionality of Kernel.rand along with better handling of floating point values. These are both interfaces to Random::DEFAULT, the Ruby system PRNG.

Random.new will create a new PRNG with a state independent of Random::DEFAULT, allowing multiple generators with different seed values or sequence positions to exist simultaneously. Random objects can be marshaled, allowing sequences to be saved and resumed.

PRNGs are currently implemented as a modified Mersenne Twister with a period of 2**19937-1.

Constant Summary collapse

DEFAULT =

Direct access to Ruby’s Pseudorandom number generator (PRNG).

rand_default

Class Method Summary collapse

Instance Method Summary collapse

Constructor Details

#new(seed = Random.new_seed) ⇒ Object

Creates a new PRNG using seed to set the initial state. If seed is omitted, the generator is initialized with Random.new_seed.

See Random.srand for more information on the use of seed values.



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# File 'random.c', line 411

static VALUE
random_init(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE obj)
{
    VALUE vseed;
    rb_random_t *rnd = get_rnd(obj);

    if (argc == 0) {
	rb_check_frozen(obj);
	vseed = random_seed();
    }
    else {
	rb_scan_args(argc, argv, "01", &vseed);
	rb_check_copyable(obj, vseed);
    }
    rnd->seed = rand_init(&rnd->mt, vseed);
    return obj;
}

Class Method Details

.new_seed ⇒ Integer

Returns an arbitrary seed value. This is used by Random.new when no seed value is specified as an argument.

Random.new_seed  #=> 115032730400174366788466674494640623225

Returns:



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# File 'random.c', line 520

static VALUE
random_seed(void)
{
    uint32_t buf[DEFAULT_SEED_CNT];
    fill_random_seed(buf);
    return make_seed_value(buf);
}

.rand ⇒ Float .rand(max) ⇒ Numeric

Alias of Random::DEFAULT.rand.

Overloads:



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# File 'random.c', line 1225

static VALUE
random_s_rand(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE obj)
{
    return rand_random(argc, argv, rand_start(&default_rand));
}

.srand(number = Random.new_seed) ⇒ Object

Seeds the system pseudo-random number generator, Random::DEFAULT, with number. The previous seed value is returned.

If number is omitted, seeds the generator using a source of entropy provided by the operating system, if available (/dev/urandom on Unix systems or the RSA cryptographic provider on Windows), which is then combined with the time, the process id, and a sequence number.

srand may be used to ensure repeatable sequences of pseudo-random numbers between different runs of the program. By setting the seed to a known value, programs can be made deterministic during testing.

srand 1234               # => 268519324636777531569100071560086917274
[ rand, rand ]           # => [0.1915194503788923, 0.6221087710398319]
[ rand(10), rand(1000) ] # => [4, 664]
srand 1234               # => 1234
[ rand, rand ]           # => [0.1915194503788923, 0.6221087710398319]



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# File 'random.c', line 679

static VALUE
rb_f_srand(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE obj)
{
    VALUE seed, old;
    rb_random_t *r = &default_rand;

    if (argc == 0) {
	seed = random_seed();
    }
    else {
	rb_scan_args(argc, argv, "01", &seed);
    }
    old = r->seed;
    r->seed = rand_init(&r->mt, seed);

    return old;
}

Instance Method Details

#==(prng2) ⇒ Boolean

Returns true if the two generators have the same internal state, otherwise false. Equivalent generators will return the same sequence of pseudo-random numbers. Two generators will generally have the same state only if they were initialized with the same seed

Random.new == Random.new             # => false
Random.new(1234) == Random.new(1234) # => true

and have the same invocation history.

prng1 = Random.new(1234)
prng2 = Random.new(1234)
prng1 == prng2 # => true

prng1.rand     # => 0.1915194503788923
prng1 == prng2 # => false

prng2.rand     # => 0.1915194503788923
prng1 == prng2 # => true

Returns:

  • (Boolean) 


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# File 'random.c', line 1152

static VALUE
random_equal(VALUE self, VALUE other)
{
    rb_random_t *r1, *r2;
    if (rb_obj_class(self) != rb_obj_class(other)) return Qfalse;
    r1 = get_rnd(self);
    r2 = get_rnd(other);
    if (!RTEST(rb_funcall2(r1->seed, rb_intern("=="), 1, &r2->seed))) return Qfalse;
    if (memcmp(r1->mt.state, r2->mt.state, sizeof(r1->mt.state))) return Qfalse;
    if ((r1->mt.next - r1->mt.state) != (r2->mt.next - r2->mt.state)) return Qfalse;
    if (r1->mt.left != r2->mt.left) return Qfalse;
    return Qtrue;
}

#bytes(size) ⇒ String

Returns a random binary string containing size bytes.

random_string = Random.new.bytes(10) # => "\xD7:R\xAB?\x83\xCE\xFAkO"
random_string.size                   # => 10

Returns:



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# File 'random.c', line 870

static VALUE
random_bytes(VALUE obj, VALUE len)
{
    return rb_random_bytes(obj, NUM2LONG(rb_to_int(len)));
}

#initialize_copy ⇒ Object

:nodoc:



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# File 'random.c', line 549

static VALUE
random_copy(VALUE obj, VALUE orig)
{
    rb_random_t *rnd1, *rnd2;
    struct MT *mt;

    if (!OBJ_INIT_COPY(obj, orig)) return obj;

    rnd1 = get_rnd(obj);
    rnd2 = get_rnd(orig);
    mt = &rnd1->mt;

    *rnd1 = *rnd2;
    mt->next = mt->state + numberof(mt->state) - mt->left + 1;
    return obj;
}

#left ⇒ Object (private)

:nodoc:



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# File 'random.c', line 590

static VALUE
random_left(VALUE obj)
{
    rb_random_t *rnd = get_rnd(obj);
    return INT2FIX(rnd->mt.left);
}

#marshal_dump ⇒ Object (private)

:nodoc:



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# File 'random.c', line 605

static VALUE
random_dump(VALUE obj)
{
    rb_random_t *rnd = get_rnd(obj);
    VALUE dump = rb_ary_new2(3);

    rb_ary_push(dump, mt_state(&rnd->mt));
    rb_ary_push(dump, INT2FIX(rnd->mt.left));
    rb_ary_push(dump, rnd->seed);

    return dump;
}

#marshal_load ⇒ Object (private)

:nodoc:



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# File 'random.c', line 619

static VALUE
random_load(VALUE obj, VALUE dump)
{
    rb_random_t *rnd = get_rnd(obj);
    struct MT *mt = &rnd->mt;
    VALUE state, left = INT2FIX(1), seed = INT2FIX(0);
    const VALUE *ary;
    unsigned long x;

    rb_check_copyable(obj, dump);
    Check_Type(dump, T_ARRAY);
    ary = RARRAY_CONST_PTR(dump);
    switch (RARRAY_LEN(dump)) {
      case 3:
	seed = ary[2];
      case 2:
	left = ary[1];
      case 1:
	state = ary[0];
	break;
      default:
	rb_raise(rb_eArgError, "wrong dump data");
    }
    rb_integer_pack(state, mt->state, numberof(mt->state),
        sizeof(*mt->state), 0,
        INTEGER_PACK_LSWORD_FIRST|INTEGER_PACK_NATIVE_BYTE_ORDER);
    x = NUM2ULONG(left);
    if (x > numberof(mt->state)) {
	rb_raise(rb_eArgError, "wrong value");
    }
    mt->left = (unsigned int)x;
    mt->next = mt->state + numberof(mt->state) - x + 1;
    rnd->seed = rb_to_int(seed);

    return obj;
}

#rand ⇒ Float #rand(max) ⇒ Numeric

When max is an Integer, rand returns a random integer greater than or equal to zero and less than max. Unlike Kernel.rand, when max is a negative integer or zero, rand raises an ArgumentError.

prng = Random.new
prng.rand(100)       # => 42

When max is a Float, rand returns a random floating point number between 0.0 and max, including 0.0 and excluding max.

prng.rand(1.5)       # => 1.4600282860034115

When max is a Range, rand returns a random number where range.member?(number) == true.

prng.rand(5..9)      # => one of [5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
prng.rand(5...9)     # => one of [5, 6, 7, 8]
prng.rand(5.0..9.0)  # => between 5.0 and 9.0, including 9.0
prng.rand(5.0...9.0) # => between 5.0 and 9.0, excluding 9.0

Both the beginning and ending values of the range must respond to subtract (-) and add (+)methods, or rand will raise an ArgumentError.

Overloads:



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# File 'random.c', line 1081

static VALUE
random_rand(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE obj)
{
    return rand_random(argc, argv, get_rnd(obj));
}

#seed ⇒ Integer

Returns the seed value used to initialize the generator. This may be used to initialize another generator with the same state at a later time, causing it to produce the same sequence of numbers.

prng1 = Random.new(1234)
prng1.seed       #=> 1234
prng1.rand(100)  #=> 47

prng2 = Random.new(prng1.seed)
prng2.rand(100)  #=> 47

Returns:



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# File 'random.c', line 542

static VALUE
random_get_seed(VALUE obj)
{
    return get_rnd(obj)->seed;
}

#state ⇒ Object (private)

:nodoc:



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# File 'random.c', line 575

static VALUE
random_state(VALUE obj)
{
    rb_random_t *rnd = get_rnd(obj);
    return mt_state(&rnd->mt);
}