Quantcast
ZME Science
  • CoronavirusNEW
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
Home Science Mathematics

Computer science breakthrough in random number generation

Random numbers are essential for cryptography and computer security. The problem is that algorithms don't really generate totally random numbers.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
May 19, 2016
in Mathematics, News
ADVERTISEMENT

Random numbers are essential for cryptography and computer security. The problem is that algorithms don’t really generate totally random numbers. Depending on the seed value, these generated random numbers are fairly easy or very difficult to predict. Academics at University of Texas made a breakthrough in the field by generating high-quality random numbers by combining two low-quality sources.

dice random numbers
Credit: Flickr

The work is still theoretical, but the two researchers, David Zuckerman, a computer science professor, and Eshan Chattopadhyay, a graduate student, say it could significantly improve cryptography, scientific polling, and even climate models. Already, some randomness extractors that create sequences of many more random numbers have been made using the University of Texas algorithms.

“We show that if you have two low-quality random sources—lower quality sources are much easier to come by—two sources that are independent and have no correlations between them, you can combine them in a way to produce a high-quality random number,” Zuckerman said. “People have been trying to do this for quite some time. Previous methods required the low-quality sources to be not that low, but more moderately high quality. “We improved it dramatically,” Zuckerman said.

Because computers just follow instructions, and random numbers are the opposite of following instructions, random numbers are theoretically predictable, although some easier or harder than others. Comic by XKCD
Because computers just follow instructions, and random numbers are the opposite of following instructions, random numbers are theoretically predictable, although some easier or harder than others. Comic by XKCD

“You expect to see advances in steps, usually several intermediate phases,” Zuckerman said. “We sort of made several advances at once. That’s why people are excited.”

The new algorithm, detailed in the journal ECCC, will make hacking a lot more difficult as random numbers of higher quality can be generated for less computational power.

Get more science news like this...

Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong.

   

ADVERTISEMENT

“This is a problem I’ve come back to over and over again for more than 20 years,” said Zuckerman. “I’m thrilled to have solved it.”

 

Tags: computer sciencerandom number
Tibi Puiu

Tibi Puiu

Tibi is a science journalist and co-founder of ZME Science. He writes mainly about emerging tech, physics, climate, and space. In his spare time, Tibi likes to make weird music on his computer and groom felines.

Follow ZME on social media

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
  • More

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.