Package 'random'

True random numbers from random.org

Description

The random package provides several functions that access the true random number service at http://random.org.

randomNumber retrieves random integers with duplicates, randomSequence retrieves random sequences without duplicates and randomStrings retrieves strings.

randomQuota returns the number of available retrievals, and quotaCheck does a simple binary comparison of remaining numbers under the quota.

Usage

randomNumbers(n=100, min=1, max=100, col=5, base=10, check=TRUE)
   randomSequence(min=1, max=20, col=1, check=TRUE)
   randomStrings(n=10, len=5, digits=TRUE, upperalpha=TRUE,
                 loweralpha=TRUE, unique=TRUE, check=TRUE)
   randomQuota()
   quotaCheck()

Arguments

n	The number of random integers, or bytes, to be retrieved.
min	The minimum value for the returned numbers.
max	The maximum value for the returned numbers.
col	The number of columns for the return object.
base	The base for the random numbers: one of 2, 8, 10 or 16.
len	The length of strings returned by randomStrings().
digits	Select whether digits are part of random strings.
upperalpha	Select whether uppercase characters part of random strings.
loweralpha	Select whether lowercase characters part of random strings.
unique	Select whether random strings must be unique.
check	Select whether quota at server should be checked first.

Details

The http://random.org services uses atmospheric noise sample via a radio tuned to an unused broadcast frequency together with a skew correction originally due to John von Neumann. Please see the included vignette for more details.

Value

Each function returns a matrix. For randomNumbers, it contains col columns of a total of n integers between min and max, possibly containing duplicates. For randomSequence, it contains the shuffled sequence denoted by min and max. For randomStrings, n strings of length len are returned.

randomQuota returns the number of bits remaining for retrieval at the given day under the currently used IP address. quotaCheck is a simple convenience wrapper which tests whether the return from randomBufferStatus() is a positive number.

Author(s)

Dirk Eddelbuettel [email protected] for the R interface; Mads Haahr for random.org.

References

The random.org website at http://www.random.org. Also see the included vignette for further references.

Examples

## Cannot run these as we may not have an internet connection
  ## Not run: 
    rn <- randomNumbers(100, 1, 100, 5)
    rs <- randomSequence(1, 20)
  
## End(Not run)

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