RANDOM NUMBER

Charles François (2004). RANDOM NUMBER, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 2712.

Collection	International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics
Year	2004
Vol. (num.)	2(2)
ID	◀ 2712 ▶
Object type	Methodology or model

Any number that cannot be generated by an algorithm shorter than the number itself.

According to KOLMOGOROV, “…a number is random if the shortest program for calculating its digits turns out to be about the same length as the number itself”. In other words, a random number cannot be compressed, i.e. reduced to such a program (D. MACKENZIE, 1999, p.45).

Of course, this leaves a doubt: A shorter program could possibly exist, but not being yet discovered by someone.

See also