Basic JavaScript - Generate Random Whole Numbers with JavaScript
Generating random whole numbers in JavaScript in a specific range - Stack Overflow
Generating random numbers within a range.
JavaScript generate random number except some values - Stack Overflow
Videos
There are some examples on the Mozilla Developer Network page:
/**
* Returns a random number between min (inclusive) and max (exclusive)
*/
function getRandomArbitrary(min, max) {
return Math.random() * (max - min) + min;
}
/**
* Returns a random integer between min (inclusive) and max (inclusive).
* The value is no lower than min (or the next integer greater than min
* if min isn't an integer) and no greater than max (or the next integer
* lower than max if max isn't an integer).
* Using Math.round() will give you a non-uniform distribution!
*/
function getRandomInt(min, max) {
min = Math.ceil(min);
max = Math.floor(max);
return Math.floor(Math.random() * (max - min + 1)) + min;
}
Here's the logic behind it. It's a simple rule of three:
Math.random() returns a Number between 0 (inclusive) and 1 (exclusive). So we have an interval like this:
[0 .................................... 1)
Now, we'd like a number between min (inclusive) and max (exclusive):
[0 .................................... 1)
[min .................................. max)
We can use the Math.random to get the correspondent in the [min, max) interval. But, first we should factor a little bit the problem by subtracting min from the second interval:
[0 .................................... 1)
[min - min ............................ max - min)
This gives:
[0 .................................... 1)
[0 .................................... max - min)
We may now apply Math.random and then calculate the correspondent. Let's choose a random number:
Math.random()
|
[0 .................................... 1)
[0 .................................... max - min)
|
x (what we need)
So, in order to find x, we would do:
x = Math.random() * (max - min);
Don't forget to add min back, so that we get a number in the [min, max) interval:
x = Math.random() * (max - min) + min;
That was the first function from MDN. The second one, returns an integer between min and max, both inclusive.
Now for getting integers, you could use round, ceil or floor.
You could use Math.round(Math.random() * (max - min)) + min, this however gives a non-even distribution. Both, min and max only have approximately half the chance to roll:
min...min+0.5...min+1...min+1.5 ... max-0.5....max
βββββ¬ββββββββββββββ¬ββββββββββββββ ... βββββββββββ¬βββ β Math.round()
min min+1 max
With max excluded from the interval, it has an even less chance to roll than min.
With Math.floor(Math.random() * (max - min +1)) + min you have a perfectly even distribution.
min... min+1... ... max-1... max.... (max+1 is excluded from interval)
βββββ¬βββββββββ¬ββββββββ ... ββββββ¬βββββββββ¬ββββ β Math.floor()
min min+1 max-1 max
You can't use ceil() and -1 in that equation because max now had a slightly less chance to roll, but you can roll the (unwanted) min-1 result too.
var randomnumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * (maximum - minimum + 1)) + minimum;
I'm a complete newbie not just to JavaScript but to programming altogether. And I mean, a newbie, no previous experience, just about finishing the codecademy's JS track right now and reading a couple of books atm. Codecademy's great fun but I get the feeling that being hold by a virtual hand while writing itsy bits of code is not how this is going to work, so I've decided to fiddle away at my own, obviously incredibly basic, little projects.
And for one of them I need a dice roll function which I'll be able to use for multiple types of dice (you know d4, d6, d8 etc). I came up with this:
function diceRoll(min, max) {
return Math.floor(Math.random()* (max-min)) + min;
}It's working, but can anyone tell me if it's the best option? What other ways are there to generate random numbers within a range?
it should be or instead of and
function generateRandom(min, max) {
var num = Math.floor(Math.random() * (max - min + 1)) + min;
return (num === 8 || num === 15) ? generateRandom(min, max) : num;
}
var test = generateRandom(1, 20)
One way, which will maintain the generator's statistical properties, is to generate a number in [1, 18]. Then apply, in this order:
If the number is 8 or more, add 1.
If the number is 15 or more, add 1.
I'd be reluctant to reject and re-sample as that can cause correlation plains to appear in linear congruential generators.
I was reading a thread on a post in one of the JS subs that was saying Math.random() isn't particularly good when it comes to making random numbers. Is it particularly bad? Are some use cases worse than others for using Math.random()? What are some ways to do it better?