From jury duty to tax audits, randomness plays a big role. Scientists used quantum physics to build a system that ensures those number draws can’t be gamed.

NIST’s CURBy beacon transforms quantum “spooky action” into certified random numbers, guarded by a blockchain-like Twine ...

Random number generators are valuable tools in computing (SN: 5/27/16). They are used to create encryption keys that scramble private data, such as passwords and credit card numbers, so that ...

So if the number n is prime, it is slightly more likely that n + 2 will be prime than random chance would suggest. The k -tuple conjecture quantifies this observation in a general statement that ...

Weakly random sequences, such as stock market prices sampled over time, have predictable patterns as they rely on using mathematics, meaning it is possible to figure out what the sequences are.

The team's laser system can also generate about 250 terabytes of random bits per second -- more than a hundred times faster than current computer-based random number generators.

Researchers have built the fastest random-number generator ever made, using a simple laser. It exploits fluctuations in the intensity of light to generate randomness—a coveted resource in ...

Using a quantum computer for random number generation is certainly an option, though there may be questions about cost or scalability.” Could be used on near-term quantum machines.

Two mathematicians have found a strange pattern in prime numbers — showing that the numbers are not distributed as randomly as theorists often assume. “Every single person we’ve told this ...