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From: jqb@netcom.com (Jim Balter)
Subject: Re: rand() - implementation ideas [Q]
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Date: Thu, 7 Nov 1996 22:14:37 GMT
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In article <328193F8.2EA5@gnn.com>,
Joseph D. Gutierrez <GutZoft@gnn.com> wrote:
>> 1 0
>> 
>> Here's an uncompressible series. It's also random.
>Let me compress it for you
>0
>or even
>1

Yes, but there is a technical notion of compressibility that refers to the
length of the program that it would take to compress a sequence.  If the
length of the program is N+c, where N is the length of the sequence and c is a
value determined by the UTM which takes the program as input, then the
sequence is not compressible.

>Randomness is in the eye of the beholder.

It is really worth reading the Chaitin pages or the Li and Vitanyi book
referred to earlier.  There are technical definitions of randomness
that fit the intuitive requirements rather well.


-- 
<J Q B>

