Is it possible to create “randomness”?

I know some of you will find today’s question too elementary but for the other 99%, vital concepts are found via Wiki:

Applied usage in science, mathematics and statistics recognizes a lack of predictability when referring to randomness, but admits regularities in the occurrences of events whose outcomes are not certain. For example, when throwing two dice and counting the total, we can say that a sum of 7 will randomly occur twice as often as 4. This view, where randomness simply refers to situations where the certainty of the outcome is at issue, applies to concepts of chance, probability, and information entropy. In these situations, randomness implies a measure of uncertainty, and notions of haphazardness are irrelevant.

The fields of mathematics, probability, and statistics use formal definitions of randomness. In statistics, a random variable is an assignment of a numerical value to each possible outcome of an event space. This association facilitates the identification and the calculation of probabilities of the events. A random process is a sequence of random variables describing a process whose outcomes do not follow a deterministic pattern, but follow an evolution described by probability distributions. These and other constructs are extremely useful in probability theory.

Randomness is often used in statistics to signify well-defined statistical properties. Monte Carlo methods, which rely on random input, are important techniques in science, as, for instance, in computational science.

The multidisciplinary implications are legion including in my considered opinion, the legal profession. Additional background can be found here.

Discuss.

32 thoughts on “Is it possible to create “randomness”?”

  1. I’ll kick start this conversation by saying that Benford’s law seemingly indicates that it is not possible to create randomness in a financial fraud but such is NOT the case IMHO thus I’d posit there such a thing as artificial randomness indistinguishable from randomness found in nature and our perception of reality.

    1. This and your previous post on Benford’s law are interesting although I was already familiar with Benford and other types of fraud analysis discussed. I am reluctant to say more on this and related topics knowing that some of your readers may have more than an academic interest in improving certain fraud related discovery techniques. I am not so much concerned about the low hanging fruit that engage in the friends and family plan type frauds; but I am sure there are others with a sharper skill set who might like to pick up a few free pointers.
      In the arms race between the good guys in Mississippi and the perps; the last thing to do is give the perps another new improved weapon in their arsenal.

      Someone somewhere probably sells an app for this to assist in filing retroactive expense reports or similar.

      1. Now updated with video. The video doesn’t have Pickering explaining the little people started it meme, maybe the SH is saving that for when the indictments drop…

        How many “little people” and “friends of yours and mine” are in this gallery of the 2012 Jolly? Whoops that’s not the whole gallery. That is here

        1. I have not seen this gallery in a while. The pictures of Scott Walker with Moby Solangi and Bill Walker with George Malvaney are just priceless. I would be willing to bet you will never again see them together in public unless it is an arraignment in a courtroom an if that were the case they would leave those smiles at home.Wonder what they would pay to have them removed from Gulflive? Need to also place them on the Pickering article @ Sunherald

        2. RFP,

          When I looked at the photographs one caught my “Eye” like no other. The picture with the one and only George Malvaney.

          Since Doug started giving us pop quizzes I figured I would add one to the mix:

          According to tight rumors from insider operators, can you guess the name of a current DMR employee who has been commonly brought up when speaking of George Malvaney?

          H

          1. Hmmm, I can’t give a quick answer, and I don’t think I am familiar with this particular rumor. Interesting to think about though. A couple of likely possibilities come to mind, and who knows, it might be a name not on the short list. Maybe I’ll have answer later.

            I’m thinking about a couple of recent things mentioned, that rumored home furnishings purchase check in particular.

  4. Current employee or consultant ? Its hard to even know who is still there. Give us a hint.

    1. You have to buy one of those according to the rules and regulations of Wheel of Fortune.

      🙂

  6. Will somebody please Eye-Spy’s question for me. Need to read the Pickering article in the Sunherald this morning.More interesting info .

  7. Hello I need some help to answer this Malvaney question. KKKould someone out there know the answer?

    1. Don’t take this the wrong way but your excessive aggressiveness towards this topic has spawned a great deal of curiosity on my side.

        1. When I clicked to watch I was served up an ad from CMMHHS : They are cracking down on Medicare fraud…targeted advertising? Slabbed, frauds, who knew?

      2. Come on now I am just trying to be a good participant. Sooner are later you must answer your own pop quiz question. If not I refuse to play anymore. Where do I send money for a vowel ?

  10. Love it.Just don’t see these songs anymore.Was that not the theme song to a movie or TV show one time?

    1. If I remember right it was featured in the Beverly Hillbillies when Jethro was a double naught spy.

  11. Randomness in volume is not random.

    Individual occurrences of coin flips or dice rolls or card draws may be random but the larger the sample size, the more predictable the distribution. That is what is behind Benford’s law and the business model of every gambling enterprise. It is why they don’t let people count cards at the blackjack table.

  12. Taleb said something to the effect that “if the result is unpredictable, it is effectively random.” Complex situations with a lot of feedback loops can get pretty close to random. You can of course data mine for patterns, but it is always hard to know which patterns were real.

    Logistics, which accounting is very closely related, is not particularly random within its own context. Which is also why I suspect the results of war are not more random.

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