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From: KFL%MX.LCS.MIT.EDU@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Minor nit on psi experiment
Message-ID: <236@sri-arpa.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 2-Nov-86 20:28:24 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.236
Posted: Sun Nov  2 20:28:24 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Nov-86 05:23:05 EST
Lines: 17

From:  "Keith F. Lynch" <KFL%MX.LCS.MIT.EDU@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU>

    From: pyramid!decwrl!amdcad!lll-crg!hoptoad!tim@Ucb-Vax.arpa (Tim Maroney)

    ... biasing a random number generator, which is presumably a
    microscopic silicon device whose functioning requires special
    training for understanding.

  A true random number generator might be a speck of radium with a
Geiger counter next to it.  A silicon device, i.e. computer, can only
be a ~rpseudo-random number generator.  The numbers that are produced by
it may be well distributed, but they only APPEAR random - because of
our lack of knowledge of the algorithm or lack of ability to compute
its results in our heads.  If someone appears to demonstrate an ability
to bias a properly operating pseudo-random number generator, that is
excellent evidence that the experiment IS bogus.
								...Keith