On Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 9:56 PM, <meino.cra...@gmx.de> wrote: > Hi, > > I am experimenting with the C code of the ISAAC pseudo random number generator > (http://burtleburtle.net/bob/rand/isaacafa.html). > > Currently the implementation creates (on my embedded linux) 32 bit > hexadecimal output.
So it's a 32 bit integer. > From this I want to create random numbers in the range of [a-Za-z0-9] > *without violating randomness* and (if possible) without throwing > away bits of the output. You mean *characters* int the range [A-Za-z0-9]? > How can I do this mathemtically (in concern of the quality of output) > correct? The easiest thing to do would be: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #include <time.h> #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #define N (26+26+10) static char S[] = { 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S', 'T', 'U', 'V', 'W', 'X', 'Y', 'Z', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g', 'h', 'i', 'j', 'k', 'l', 'm', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'q', 'r', 's', 't', 'u', 'v', 'w', 'x', 'y', 'z', '0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9' }; int next_character() { // Use the correct call for ISAAC instead of rand() unsigned int idx = rand() % N; return S[idx]; } int main(int argc, char* argv[]) { // Use the correct call for initializing the ISAAC seed srand((unsigned int)time(NULL)); for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) // --std=c99 printf("%c\n", next_character()); return 0; } ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If the ISAAC RNG has a good distribution, then the next_character() function will give a good distribution among the set [A-Za-z0-9]. Unless I missunderstood what you meant with "create random numbers in the range of [a-Za-z0-9]". Regards. -- Canek Peláez Valdés Profesor de asignatura, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México