Related
How do I generate a random int value in a specific range?
The following methods have bugs related to integer overflow:
randomNum = minimum + (int)(Math.random() * maximum);
// Bug: `randomNum` can be bigger than `maximum`.
Random rn = new Random();
int n = maximum - minimum + 1;
int i = rn.nextInt() % n;
randomNum = minimum + i;
// Bug: `randomNum` can be smaller than `minimum`.
In Java 1.7 or later, the standard way to do this is as follows:
import java.util.concurrent.ThreadLocalRandom;
// nextInt is normally exclusive of the top value,
// so add 1 to make it inclusive
int randomNum = ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextInt(min, max + 1);
See the relevant JavaDoc. This approach has the advantage of not needing to explicitly initialize a java.util.Random instance, which can be a source of confusion and error if used inappropriately.
However, conversely there is no way to explicitly set the seed so it can be difficult to reproduce results in situations where that is useful such as testing or saving game states or similar. In those situations, the pre-Java 1.7 technique shown below can be used.
Before Java 1.7, the standard way to do this is as follows:
import java.util.Random;
/**
* Returns a pseudo-random number between min and max, inclusive.
* The difference between min and max can be at most
* <code>Integer.MAX_VALUE - 1</code>.
*
* #param min Minimum value
* #param max Maximum value. Must be greater than min.
* #return Integer between min and max, inclusive.
* #see java.util.Random#nextInt(int)
*/
public static int randInt(int min, int max) {
// NOTE: This will (intentionally) not run as written so that folks
// copy-pasting have to think about how to initialize their
// Random instance. Initialization of the Random instance is outside
// the main scope of the question, but some decent options are to have
// a field that is initialized once and then re-used as needed or to
// use ThreadLocalRandom (if using at least Java 1.7).
//
// In particular, do NOT do 'Random rand = new Random()' here or you
// will get not very good / not very random results.
Random rand;
// nextInt is normally exclusive of the top value,
// so add 1 to make it inclusive
int randomNum = rand.nextInt((max - min) + 1) + min;
return randomNum;
}
See the relevant JavaDoc. In practice, the java.util.Random class is often preferable to java.lang.Math.random().
In particular, there is no need to reinvent the random integer generation wheel when there is a straightforward API within the standard library to accomplish the task.
Note that this approach is more biased and less efficient than a nextInt approach, https://stackoverflow.com/a/738651/360211
One standard pattern for accomplishing this is:
Min + (int)(Math.random() * ((Max - Min) + 1))
The Java Math library function Math.random() generates a double value in the range [0,1). Notice this range does not include the 1.
In order to get a specific range of values first, you need to multiply by the magnitude of the range of values you want covered.
Math.random() * ( Max - Min )
This returns a value in the range [0,Max-Min), where 'Max-Min' is not included.
For example, if you want [5,10), you need to cover five integer values so you use
Math.random() * 5
This would return a value in the range [0,5), where 5 is not included.
Now you need to shift this range up to the range that you are targeting. You do this by adding the Min value.
Min + (Math.random() * (Max - Min))
You now will get a value in the range [Min,Max). Following our example, that means [5,10):
5 + (Math.random() * (10 - 5))
But, this still doesn't include Max and you are getting a double value. In order to get the Max value included, you need to add 1 to your range parameter (Max - Min) and then truncate the decimal part by casting to an int. This is accomplished via:
Min + (int)(Math.random() * ((Max - Min) + 1))
And there you have it. A random integer value in the range [Min,Max], or per the example [5,10]:
5 + (int)(Math.random() * ((10 - 5) + 1))
Use:
Random ran = new Random();
int x = ran.nextInt(6) + 5;
The integer x is now the random number that has a possible outcome of 5-10.
Use:
minValue + rn.nextInt(maxValue - minValue + 1)
With java-8 they introduced the method ints(int randomNumberOrigin, int randomNumberBound) in the Random class.
For example if you want to generate five random integers (or a single one) in the range [0, 10], just do:
Random r = new Random();
int[] fiveRandomNumbers = r.ints(5, 0, 11).toArray();
int randomNumber = r.ints(1, 0, 11).findFirst().getAsInt();
The first parameter indicates just the size of the IntStream generated (which is the overloaded method of the one that produces an unlimited IntStream).
If you need to do multiple separate calls, you can create an infinite primitive iterator from the stream:
public final class IntRandomNumberGenerator {
private PrimitiveIterator.OfInt randomIterator;
/**
* Initialize a new random number generator that generates
* random numbers in the range [min, max]
* #param min - the min value (inclusive)
* #param max - the max value (inclusive)
*/
public IntRandomNumberGenerator(int min, int max) {
randomIterator = new Random().ints(min, max + 1).iterator();
}
/**
* Returns a random number in the range (min, max)
* #return a random number in the range (min, max)
*/
public int nextInt() {
return randomIterator.nextInt();
}
}
You can also do it for double and long values.
You can edit your second code example to:
Random rn = new Random();
int range = maximum - minimum + 1;
int randomNum = rn.nextInt(range) + minimum;
Just a small modification of your first solution would suffice.
Random rand = new Random();
randomNum = minimum + rand.nextInt((maximum - minimum) + 1);
See more here for implementation of Random
ThreadLocalRandom equivalent of class java.util.Random for multithreaded environment. Generating a random number is carried out locally in each of the threads. So we have a better performance by reducing the conflicts.
int rand = ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextInt(x,y);
x,y - intervals e.g. (1,10)
The Math.Random class in Java is 0-based. So, if you write something like this:
Random rand = new Random();
int x = rand.nextInt(10);
x will be between 0-9 inclusive.
So, given the following array of 25 items, the code to generate a random number between 0 (the base of the array) and array.length would be:
String[] i = new String[25];
Random rand = new Random();
int index = 0;
index = rand.nextInt( i.length );
Since i.length will return 25, the nextInt( i.length ) will return a number between the range of 0-24. The other option is going with Math.Random which works in the same way.
index = (int) Math.floor(Math.random() * i.length);
For a better understanding, check out forum post Random Intervals (archive.org).
It can be done by simply doing the statement:
Randomizer.generate(0, 10); // Minimum of zero and maximum of ten
Below is its source code.
File Randomizer.java
public class Randomizer {
public static int generate(int min, int max) {
return min + (int)(Math.random() * ((max - min) + 1));
}
}
It is just clean and simple.
Forgive me for being fastidious, but the solution suggested by the majority, i.e., min + rng.nextInt(max - min + 1)), seems perilous due to the fact that:
rng.nextInt(n) cannot reach Integer.MAX_VALUE.
(max - min) may cause overflow when min is negative.
A foolproof solution would return correct results for any min <= max within [Integer.MIN_VALUE, Integer.MAX_VALUE]. Consider the following naive implementation:
int nextIntInRange(int min, int max, Random rng) {
if (min > max) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot draw random int from invalid range [" + min + ", " + max + "].");
}
int diff = max - min;
if (diff >= 0 && diff != Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
return (min + rng.nextInt(diff + 1));
}
int i;
do {
i = rng.nextInt();
} while (i < min || i > max);
return i;
}
Although inefficient, note that the probability of success in the while loop will always be 50% or higher.
I wonder if any of the random number generating methods provided by an Apache Commons Math library would fit the bill.
For example: RandomDataGenerator.nextInt or RandomDataGenerator.nextLong
I use this:
/**
* #param min - The minimum.
* #param max - The maximum.
* #return A random double between these numbers (inclusive the minimum and maximum).
*/
public static double getRandom(double min, double max) {
return (Math.random() * (max + 1 - min)) + min;
}
You can cast it to an Integer if you want.
As of Java 7, you should no longer use Random. For most uses, the
random number generator of choice is now
ThreadLocalRandom.For fork join pools and parallel
streams, use SplittableRandom.
Joshua Bloch. Effective Java. Third Edition.
Starting from Java 8
For fork join pools and parallel streams, use SplittableRandom that is usually faster, has a better statistical independence and uniformity properties in comparison with Random.
To generate a random int in the range [0, 1_000]:
int n = new SplittableRandom().nextInt(0, 1_001);
To generate a random int[100] array of values in the range [0, 1_000]:
int[] a = new SplittableRandom().ints(100, 0, 1_001).parallel().toArray();
To return a Stream of random values:
IntStream stream = new SplittableRandom().ints(100, 0, 1_001);
rand.nextInt((max+1) - min) + min;
Let us take an example.
Suppose I wish to generate a number between 5-10:
int max = 10;
int min = 5;
int diff = max - min;
Random rn = new Random();
int i = rn.nextInt(diff + 1);
i += min;
System.out.print("The Random Number is " + i);
Let us understand this...
Initialize max with highest value and min with the lowest value.
Now, we need to determine how many possible values can be obtained. For this example, it would be:
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
So, count of this would be max - min + 1.
i.e. 10 - 5 + 1 = 6
The random number will generate a number between 0-5.
i.e. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Adding the min value to the random number would produce:
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Hence we obtain the desired range.
Generate a random number for the difference of min and max by using the nextint(n) method and then add min number to the result:
Random rn = new Random();
int result = rn.nextInt(max - min + 1) + min;
System.out.println(result);
To generate a random number "in between two numbers", use the following code:
Random r = new Random();
int lowerBound = 1;
int upperBound = 11;
int result = r.nextInt(upperBound-lowerBound) + lowerBound;
This gives you a random number in between 1 (inclusive) and 11 (exclusive), so initialize the upperBound value by adding 1. For example, if you want to generate random number between 1 to 10 then initialize the upperBound number with 11 instead of 10.
Just use the Random class:
Random ran = new Random();
// Assumes max and min are non-negative.
int randomInt = min + ran.nextInt(max - min + 1);
These methods might be convenient to use:
This method will return a random number between the provided minimum and maximum value:
public static int getRandomNumberBetween(int min, int max) {
Random foo = new Random();
int randomNumber = foo.nextInt(max - min) + min;
if (randomNumber == min) {
// Since the random number is between the min and max values, simply add 1
return min + 1;
} else {
return randomNumber;
}
}
and this method will return a random number from the provided minimum and maximum value (so the generated number could also be the minimum or maximum number):
public static int getRandomNumberFrom(int min, int max) {
Random foo = new Random();
int randomNumber = foo.nextInt((max + 1) - min) + min;
return randomNumber;
}
In case of rolling a dice it would be random number between 1 to 6 (not 0 to 6), so:
face = 1 + randomNumbers.nextInt(6);
int random = minimum + Double.valueOf(Math.random()*(maximum-minimum )).intValue();
Or take a look to RandomUtils from Apache Commons.
You can achieve that concisely in Java 8:
Random random = new Random();
int max = 10;
int min = 5;
int totalNumber = 10;
IntStream stream = random.ints(totalNumber, min, max);
stream.forEach(System.out::println);
Here's a helpful class to generate random ints in a range with any combination of inclusive/exclusive bounds:
import java.util.Random;
public class RandomRange extends Random {
public int nextIncInc(int min, int max) {
return nextInt(max - min + 1) + min;
}
public int nextExcInc(int min, int max) {
return nextInt(max - min) + 1 + min;
}
public int nextExcExc(int min, int max) {
return nextInt(max - min - 1) + 1 + min;
}
public int nextIncExc(int min, int max) {
return nextInt(max - min) + min;
}
}
Another option is just using Apache Commons:
import org.apache.commons.math.random.RandomData;
import org.apache.commons.math.random.RandomDataImpl;
public void method() {
RandomData randomData = new RandomDataImpl();
int number = randomData.nextInt(5, 10);
// ...
}
I found this example Generate random numbers :
This example generates random integers in a specific range.
import java.util.Random;
/** Generate random integers in a certain range. */
public final class RandomRange {
public static final void main(String... aArgs){
log("Generating random integers in the range 1..10.");
int START = 1;
int END = 10;
Random random = new Random();
for (int idx = 1; idx <= 10; ++idx){
showRandomInteger(START, END, random);
}
log("Done.");
}
private static void showRandomInteger(int aStart, int aEnd, Random aRandom){
if ( aStart > aEnd ) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException("Start cannot exceed End.");
}
//get the range, casting to long to avoid overflow problems
long range = (long)aEnd - (long)aStart + 1;
// compute a fraction of the range, 0 <= frac < range
long fraction = (long)(range * aRandom.nextDouble());
int randomNumber = (int)(fraction + aStart);
log("Generated : " + randomNumber);
}
private static void log(String aMessage){
System.out.println(aMessage);
}
}
An example run of this class :
Generating random integers in the range 1..10.
Generated : 9
Generated : 3
Generated : 3
Generated : 9
Generated : 4
Generated : 1
Generated : 3
Generated : 9
Generated : 10
Generated : 10
Done.
public static Random RANDOM = new Random(System.nanoTime());
public static final float random(final float pMin, final float pMax) {
return pMin + RANDOM.nextFloat() * (pMax - pMin);
}
Here is a simple sample that shows how to generate random number from closed [min, max] range, while min <= max is true
You can reuse it as field in hole class, also having all Random.class methods in one place
Results example:
RandomUtils random = new RandomUtils();
random.nextInt(0, 0); // returns 0
random.nextInt(10, 10); // returns 10
random.nextInt(-10, 10); // returns numbers from -10 to 10 (-10, -9....9, 10)
random.nextInt(10, -10); // throws assert
Sources:
import junit.framework.Assert;
import java.util.Random;
public class RandomUtils extends Random {
/**
* #param min generated value. Can't be > then max
* #param max generated value
* #return values in closed range [min, max].
*/
public int nextInt(int min, int max) {
Assert.assertFalse("min can't be > then max; values:[" + min + ", " + max + "]", min > max);
if (min == max) {
return max;
}
return nextInt(max - min + 1) + min;
}
}
It's better to use SecureRandom rather than just Random.
public static int generateRandomInteger(int min, int max) {
SecureRandom rand = new SecureRandom();
rand.setSeed(new Date().getTime());
int randomNum = rand.nextInt((max - min) + 1) + min;
return randomNum;
}
rand.nextInt((max+1) - min) + min;
This is working fine.
This question already has answers here:
How do I generate random integers within a specific range in Java?
(72 answers)
Closed 6 years ago.
Trying to figure this out for a while, need a random number that is either -1, 0 or 1. Any help would be great.
Random random = ThreadLocalRandom.current();
int randomNumber = random.nextInt(3) - 1;
Will do the work
If you use Java < 8 version then old approach will be great for you:
You can use java.util.Random class and its method nextInt(int bound). This method generates a random integer from 0 (inclusive) to bound (exclusive). If you want some specific range then you will need to perform some simple math operations:
Cut the range: max - min
If you want to include upper bound value then will add 1: nextInt((max - min) + 1) (optional step)
Shift the generated number to the value of lower bound: nextInt((max - min) + 1) + min
Result:
Random r = new Random();
int randomNumber = r.nextInt((max - min) + 1) + min;
If you use Java >= 8 version, then there will be easier approach for you:
Now java.util.Random class provides other methods according to Stream api like:
public IntStream ints(int randomNumberOrigin, int randomNumberBound)
public IntStream ints(long streamSize, int randomNumberOrigin, int randomNumberBound)
Now you can generate a random integer from origin (inclusive) to bound (exclusive) like that:
Random r = new Random();
r.ints(min, max).findFirst().getAsInt();
If you want to include upper bound into generating process then:
r.ints(min, (max + 1)).findFirst().getAsInt();
To prevent producing unlimited stream:
r.ints(min, (max + 1)).limit(1).findFirst().getAsInt();
or
r.ints(1, min, (max + 1)).findFirst().getAsInt();
answer 1
long l = System.currentTimeMillis();
int randomNumber = (int) (l % 3) - 1;
answer 2
int randomNumber = (int) (Math.random() * 3) - 1;
answer 3
Random random = new Random();
int randomNumber = random.nextInt(3) - 1;
Look at this one
Random r = new Random();
int n = r.nextInt((1 - -1) + 1) + -1;
System.out.println(n);
it will generate random between the range you want. output will be 1 or 0 or -1.
You can use int arrays with Random class. Store your values in an integer array, and generate random number for the index of the array.
Sample Code:
final int[] arr = new int[] { -1, 0, 1 };
Random number = new Random();
int n = number.nextInt(arr.length);
System.out.println(arr[n]); //arr[n] will give you random number
How do I generate a random int value in a specific range?
The following methods have bugs related to integer overflow:
randomNum = minimum + (int)(Math.random() * maximum);
// Bug: `randomNum` can be bigger than `maximum`.
Random rn = new Random();
int n = maximum - minimum + 1;
int i = rn.nextInt() % n;
randomNum = minimum + i;
// Bug: `randomNum` can be smaller than `minimum`.
In Java 1.7 or later, the standard way to do this is as follows:
import java.util.concurrent.ThreadLocalRandom;
// nextInt is normally exclusive of the top value,
// so add 1 to make it inclusive
int randomNum = ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextInt(min, max + 1);
See the relevant JavaDoc. This approach has the advantage of not needing to explicitly initialize a java.util.Random instance, which can be a source of confusion and error if used inappropriately.
However, conversely there is no way to explicitly set the seed so it can be difficult to reproduce results in situations where that is useful such as testing or saving game states or similar. In those situations, the pre-Java 1.7 technique shown below can be used.
Before Java 1.7, the standard way to do this is as follows:
import java.util.Random;
/**
* Returns a pseudo-random number between min and max, inclusive.
* The difference between min and max can be at most
* <code>Integer.MAX_VALUE - 1</code>.
*
* #param min Minimum value
* #param max Maximum value. Must be greater than min.
* #return Integer between min and max, inclusive.
* #see java.util.Random#nextInt(int)
*/
public static int randInt(int min, int max) {
// NOTE: This will (intentionally) not run as written so that folks
// copy-pasting have to think about how to initialize their
// Random instance. Initialization of the Random instance is outside
// the main scope of the question, but some decent options are to have
// a field that is initialized once and then re-used as needed or to
// use ThreadLocalRandom (if using at least Java 1.7).
//
// In particular, do NOT do 'Random rand = new Random()' here or you
// will get not very good / not very random results.
Random rand;
// nextInt is normally exclusive of the top value,
// so add 1 to make it inclusive
int randomNum = rand.nextInt((max - min) + 1) + min;
return randomNum;
}
See the relevant JavaDoc. In practice, the java.util.Random class is often preferable to java.lang.Math.random().
In particular, there is no need to reinvent the random integer generation wheel when there is a straightforward API within the standard library to accomplish the task.
Note that this approach is more biased and less efficient than a nextInt approach, https://stackoverflow.com/a/738651/360211
One standard pattern for accomplishing this is:
Min + (int)(Math.random() * ((Max - Min) + 1))
The Java Math library function Math.random() generates a double value in the range [0,1). Notice this range does not include the 1.
In order to get a specific range of values first, you need to multiply by the magnitude of the range of values you want covered.
Math.random() * ( Max - Min )
This returns a value in the range [0,Max-Min), where 'Max-Min' is not included.
For example, if you want [5,10), you need to cover five integer values so you use
Math.random() * 5
This would return a value in the range [0,5), where 5 is not included.
Now you need to shift this range up to the range that you are targeting. You do this by adding the Min value.
Min + (Math.random() * (Max - Min))
You now will get a value in the range [Min,Max). Following our example, that means [5,10):
5 + (Math.random() * (10 - 5))
But, this still doesn't include Max and you are getting a double value. In order to get the Max value included, you need to add 1 to your range parameter (Max - Min) and then truncate the decimal part by casting to an int. This is accomplished via:
Min + (int)(Math.random() * ((Max - Min) + 1))
And there you have it. A random integer value in the range [Min,Max], or per the example [5,10]:
5 + (int)(Math.random() * ((10 - 5) + 1))
Use:
Random ran = new Random();
int x = ran.nextInt(6) + 5;
The integer x is now the random number that has a possible outcome of 5-10.
Use:
minValue + rn.nextInt(maxValue - minValue + 1)
With java-8 they introduced the method ints(int randomNumberOrigin, int randomNumberBound) in the Random class.
For example if you want to generate five random integers (or a single one) in the range [0, 10], just do:
Random r = new Random();
int[] fiveRandomNumbers = r.ints(5, 0, 11).toArray();
int randomNumber = r.ints(1, 0, 11).findFirst().getAsInt();
The first parameter indicates just the size of the IntStream generated (which is the overloaded method of the one that produces an unlimited IntStream).
If you need to do multiple separate calls, you can create an infinite primitive iterator from the stream:
public final class IntRandomNumberGenerator {
private PrimitiveIterator.OfInt randomIterator;
/**
* Initialize a new random number generator that generates
* random numbers in the range [min, max]
* #param min - the min value (inclusive)
* #param max - the max value (inclusive)
*/
public IntRandomNumberGenerator(int min, int max) {
randomIterator = new Random().ints(min, max + 1).iterator();
}
/**
* Returns a random number in the range (min, max)
* #return a random number in the range (min, max)
*/
public int nextInt() {
return randomIterator.nextInt();
}
}
You can also do it for double and long values.
You can edit your second code example to:
Random rn = new Random();
int range = maximum - minimum + 1;
int randomNum = rn.nextInt(range) + minimum;
Just a small modification of your first solution would suffice.
Random rand = new Random();
randomNum = minimum + rand.nextInt((maximum - minimum) + 1);
See more here for implementation of Random
ThreadLocalRandom equivalent of class java.util.Random for multithreaded environment. Generating a random number is carried out locally in each of the threads. So we have a better performance by reducing the conflicts.
int rand = ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextInt(x,y);
x,y - intervals e.g. (1,10)
The Math.Random class in Java is 0-based. So, if you write something like this:
Random rand = new Random();
int x = rand.nextInt(10);
x will be between 0-9 inclusive.
So, given the following array of 25 items, the code to generate a random number between 0 (the base of the array) and array.length would be:
String[] i = new String[25];
Random rand = new Random();
int index = 0;
index = rand.nextInt( i.length );
Since i.length will return 25, the nextInt( i.length ) will return a number between the range of 0-24. The other option is going with Math.Random which works in the same way.
index = (int) Math.floor(Math.random() * i.length);
For a better understanding, check out forum post Random Intervals (archive.org).
It can be done by simply doing the statement:
Randomizer.generate(0, 10); // Minimum of zero and maximum of ten
Below is its source code.
File Randomizer.java
public class Randomizer {
public static int generate(int min, int max) {
return min + (int)(Math.random() * ((max - min) + 1));
}
}
It is just clean and simple.
Forgive me for being fastidious, but the solution suggested by the majority, i.e., min + rng.nextInt(max - min + 1)), seems perilous due to the fact that:
rng.nextInt(n) cannot reach Integer.MAX_VALUE.
(max - min) may cause overflow when min is negative.
A foolproof solution would return correct results for any min <= max within [Integer.MIN_VALUE, Integer.MAX_VALUE]. Consider the following naive implementation:
int nextIntInRange(int min, int max, Random rng) {
if (min > max) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot draw random int from invalid range [" + min + ", " + max + "].");
}
int diff = max - min;
if (diff >= 0 && diff != Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
return (min + rng.nextInt(diff + 1));
}
int i;
do {
i = rng.nextInt();
} while (i < min || i > max);
return i;
}
Although inefficient, note that the probability of success in the while loop will always be 50% or higher.
I wonder if any of the random number generating methods provided by an Apache Commons Math library would fit the bill.
For example: RandomDataGenerator.nextInt or RandomDataGenerator.nextLong
I use this:
/**
* #param min - The minimum.
* #param max - The maximum.
* #return A random double between these numbers (inclusive the minimum and maximum).
*/
public static double getRandom(double min, double max) {
return (Math.random() * (max + 1 - min)) + min;
}
You can cast it to an Integer if you want.
As of Java 7, you should no longer use Random. For most uses, the
random number generator of choice is now
ThreadLocalRandom.For fork join pools and parallel
streams, use SplittableRandom.
Joshua Bloch. Effective Java. Third Edition.
Starting from Java 8
For fork join pools and parallel streams, use SplittableRandom that is usually faster, has a better statistical independence and uniformity properties in comparison with Random.
To generate a random int in the range [0, 1_000]:
int n = new SplittableRandom().nextInt(0, 1_001);
To generate a random int[100] array of values in the range [0, 1_000]:
int[] a = new SplittableRandom().ints(100, 0, 1_001).parallel().toArray();
To return a Stream of random values:
IntStream stream = new SplittableRandom().ints(100, 0, 1_001);
rand.nextInt((max+1) - min) + min;
Let us take an example.
Suppose I wish to generate a number between 5-10:
int max = 10;
int min = 5;
int diff = max - min;
Random rn = new Random();
int i = rn.nextInt(diff + 1);
i += min;
System.out.print("The Random Number is " + i);
Let us understand this...
Initialize max with highest value and min with the lowest value.
Now, we need to determine how many possible values can be obtained. For this example, it would be:
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
So, count of this would be max - min + 1.
i.e. 10 - 5 + 1 = 6
The random number will generate a number between 0-5.
i.e. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Adding the min value to the random number would produce:
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Hence we obtain the desired range.
Generate a random number for the difference of min and max by using the nextint(n) method and then add min number to the result:
Random rn = new Random();
int result = rn.nextInt(max - min + 1) + min;
System.out.println(result);
To generate a random number "in between two numbers", use the following code:
Random r = new Random();
int lowerBound = 1;
int upperBound = 11;
int result = r.nextInt(upperBound-lowerBound) + lowerBound;
This gives you a random number in between 1 (inclusive) and 11 (exclusive), so initialize the upperBound value by adding 1. For example, if you want to generate random number between 1 to 10 then initialize the upperBound number with 11 instead of 10.
Just use the Random class:
Random ran = new Random();
// Assumes max and min are non-negative.
int randomInt = min + ran.nextInt(max - min + 1);
These methods might be convenient to use:
This method will return a random number between the provided minimum and maximum value:
public static int getRandomNumberBetween(int min, int max) {
Random foo = new Random();
int randomNumber = foo.nextInt(max - min) + min;
if (randomNumber == min) {
// Since the random number is between the min and max values, simply add 1
return min + 1;
} else {
return randomNumber;
}
}
and this method will return a random number from the provided minimum and maximum value (so the generated number could also be the minimum or maximum number):
public static int getRandomNumberFrom(int min, int max) {
Random foo = new Random();
int randomNumber = foo.nextInt((max + 1) - min) + min;
return randomNumber;
}
In case of rolling a dice it would be random number between 1 to 6 (not 0 to 6), so:
face = 1 + randomNumbers.nextInt(6);
int random = minimum + Double.valueOf(Math.random()*(maximum-minimum )).intValue();
Or take a look to RandomUtils from Apache Commons.
You can achieve that concisely in Java 8:
Random random = new Random();
int max = 10;
int min = 5;
int totalNumber = 10;
IntStream stream = random.ints(totalNumber, min, max);
stream.forEach(System.out::println);
Here's a helpful class to generate random ints in a range with any combination of inclusive/exclusive bounds:
import java.util.Random;
public class RandomRange extends Random {
public int nextIncInc(int min, int max) {
return nextInt(max - min + 1) + min;
}
public int nextExcInc(int min, int max) {
return nextInt(max - min) + 1 + min;
}
public int nextExcExc(int min, int max) {
return nextInt(max - min - 1) + 1 + min;
}
public int nextIncExc(int min, int max) {
return nextInt(max - min) + min;
}
}
Another option is just using Apache Commons:
import org.apache.commons.math.random.RandomData;
import org.apache.commons.math.random.RandomDataImpl;
public void method() {
RandomData randomData = new RandomDataImpl();
int number = randomData.nextInt(5, 10);
// ...
}
I found this example Generate random numbers :
This example generates random integers in a specific range.
import java.util.Random;
/** Generate random integers in a certain range. */
public final class RandomRange {
public static final void main(String... aArgs){
log("Generating random integers in the range 1..10.");
int START = 1;
int END = 10;
Random random = new Random();
for (int idx = 1; idx <= 10; ++idx){
showRandomInteger(START, END, random);
}
log("Done.");
}
private static void showRandomInteger(int aStart, int aEnd, Random aRandom){
if ( aStart > aEnd ) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException("Start cannot exceed End.");
}
//get the range, casting to long to avoid overflow problems
long range = (long)aEnd - (long)aStart + 1;
// compute a fraction of the range, 0 <= frac < range
long fraction = (long)(range * aRandom.nextDouble());
int randomNumber = (int)(fraction + aStart);
log("Generated : " + randomNumber);
}
private static void log(String aMessage){
System.out.println(aMessage);
}
}
An example run of this class :
Generating random integers in the range 1..10.
Generated : 9
Generated : 3
Generated : 3
Generated : 9
Generated : 4
Generated : 1
Generated : 3
Generated : 9
Generated : 10
Generated : 10
Done.
public static Random RANDOM = new Random(System.nanoTime());
public static final float random(final float pMin, final float pMax) {
return pMin + RANDOM.nextFloat() * (pMax - pMin);
}
Here is a simple sample that shows how to generate random number from closed [min, max] range, while min <= max is true
You can reuse it as field in hole class, also having all Random.class methods in one place
Results example:
RandomUtils random = new RandomUtils();
random.nextInt(0, 0); // returns 0
random.nextInt(10, 10); // returns 10
random.nextInt(-10, 10); // returns numbers from -10 to 10 (-10, -9....9, 10)
random.nextInt(10, -10); // throws assert
Sources:
import junit.framework.Assert;
import java.util.Random;
public class RandomUtils extends Random {
/**
* #param min generated value. Can't be > then max
* #param max generated value
* #return values in closed range [min, max].
*/
public int nextInt(int min, int max) {
Assert.assertFalse("min can't be > then max; values:[" + min + ", " + max + "]", min > max);
if (min == max) {
return max;
}
return nextInt(max - min + 1) + min;
}
}
It's better to use SecureRandom rather than just Random.
public static int generateRandomInteger(int min, int max) {
SecureRandom rand = new SecureRandom();
rand.setSeed(new Date().getTime());
int randomNum = rand.nextInt((max - min) + 1) + min;
return randomNum;
}
rand.nextInt((max+1) - min) + min;
This is working fine.
I have the following methods. The method rnd, returns a single random integer between two bounds:
/* Create next batch of 55 random numbers */
void advance_random (){
int j1;
double new_random;
for(j1=0; j1<24; j1++){
new_random = oldrand[j1]-oldrand[j1+31];
if(new_random<0.0){
new_random = new_random+1.0;
}
oldrand[j1] = new_random;
}
for(j1=24; j1<55; j1++){
new_random = oldrand[j1]-oldrand[j1-24];
if(new_random<0.0){
new_random = new_random+1.0;
}
oldrand[j1] = new_random;
}
} //advance_ramdom
/* Fetch a single random number between 0.0 and 1.0 */
double randomperc(){
jrand++;
if(jrand>=55){
jrand = 1;
advance_random();
}
return((double)oldrand[jrand]);
} //randomPerc
/* Fetch a single random integer between low and high including the bounds */
synchronized int rnd (int low, int high){
int res;
if (low >= high){
res = low;
} else {
res = low + (int)(randomperc()*(high-low+1));
if (res > high){
res = high;
}
}
return (res);
} // rnd
How do I modify this so that the number returned mod2 =0?
Thanks
if you can get a random number in range [a, b] then all you have to do is get a random number in the range [(a+1)/2, b/2] and multiply it by 2 to get a random even number in range [a, b]
Use a bit-mask to force the least-significant bit to be zero:
x = x & ~1;
Multiply the result you get from your code by two at the end - still random, and divisble by 2!
how about using:
return res & ~1;
In Java 1.7 or later, I would use ThreadLocalRandom:
import java.util.concurrent.ThreadLocalRandom;
// Get even random number within range [min, max]
// Start with an even minimum and add random even number from the remaining range
public static int randEvenInt(int min, int max) {
if (min % 2 != 0) ++min;
return min + 2*ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextInt((max-min)/2+1);
}
// Get odd random number within range [min, max]
// Start with an odd minimum and add random even number from the remaining range
public static int randOddInt(int min, int max) {
if (min % 2 == 0) ++min;
return min + 2*ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextInt((max-min)/2+1);
}
The reason to use ThreadLocalRandom is explained here. Also note, that the reason we +1 to the input to ThreadLocalRandom.nextInt() is to make sure the max is included in the range.
I need to generate arbitrarily large random integers in the range 0 (inclusive) to n (exclusive). My initial thought was to call nextDouble and multiply by n, but once n gets to be larger than 253, the results would no longer be uniformly distributed.
BigInteger has the following constructor available:
public BigInteger(int numBits, Random rnd)
Constructs a randomly generated BigInteger, uniformly distributed over the range 0 to (2numBits - 1), inclusive.
How can this be used to get a random value in the range 0 - n, where n is not a power of 2?
Use a loop:
BigInteger randomNumber;
do {
randomNumber = new BigInteger(upperLimit.bitLength(), randomSource);
} while (randomNumber.compareTo(upperLimit) >= 0);
on average, this will require less than two iterations, and the selection will be uniform.
Edit: If your RNG is expensive, you can limit the number of iterations the following way:
int nlen = upperLimit.bitLength();
BigInteger nm1 = upperLimit.subtract(BigInteger.ONE);
BigInteger randomNumber, temp;
do {
temp = new BigInteger(nlen + 100, randomSource);
randomNumber = temp.mod(upperLimit);
} while (s.subtract(randomNumber).add(nm1).bitLength() >= nlen + 100);
// result is in 'randomNumber'
With this version, it is highly improbable that the loop is taken more than once (less than one chance in 2^100, i.e. much less than the probability that the host machine spontaneously catches fire in the next following second). On the other hand, the mod() operation is computationally expensive, so this version is probably slower than the previous, unless the randomSource instance is exceptionally slow.
The following method uses the BigInteger(int numBits, Random rnd) constructor and rejects the result if it's bigger than the specified n.
public BigInteger nextRandomBigInteger(BigInteger n) {
Random rand = new Random();
BigInteger result = new BigInteger(n.bitLength(), rand);
while( result.compareTo(n) >= 0 ) {
result = new BigInteger(n.bitLength(), rand);
}
return result;
}
The drawback to this is that the constructor is called an unspecified number of times, but in the worst case (n is just slightly greater than a power of 2) the expected number of calls to the constructor should be only about 2 times.
The simplest approach (by quite a long way) would be to use the specified constructor to generate a random number with the right number of bits (floor(log2 n) + 1), and then throw it away if it's greater than n. In the worst possible case (e.g. a number in the range [0, 2n + 1) you'll throw away just under half the values you create, on average.
Why not constructing a random BigInteger, then building a BigDecimal from it ?
There is a constructor in BigDecimal : public BigDecimal(BigInteger unscaledVal, int scale) that seems relevant here, no ? Give it a random BigInteger and a random scale int, and you'll have a random BigDecimal. No ?
Here is how I do it in a class called Generic_BigInteger available via:
Andy Turner's Generic Source Code Web Page
/**
* There are methods to get large random numbers. Indeed, there is a
* constructor for BigDecimal that allows for this, but only for uniform
* distributions over a binary power range.
* #param a_Random
* #param upperLimit
* #return a random integer as a BigInteger between 0 and upperLimit
* inclusive
*/
public static BigInteger getRandom(
Generic_Number a_Generic_Number,
BigInteger upperLimit) {
// Special cases
if (upperLimit.compareTo(BigInteger.ZERO) == 0) {
return BigInteger.ZERO;
}
String upperLimit_String = upperLimit.toString();
int upperLimitStringLength = upperLimit_String.length();
Random[] random = a_Generic_Number.get_RandomArrayMinLength(
upperLimitStringLength);
if (upperLimit.compareTo(BigInteger.ONE) == 0) {
if (random[0].nextBoolean()) {
return BigInteger.ONE;
} else {
return BigInteger.ZERO;
}
}
int startIndex = 0;
int endIndex = 1;
String result_String = "";
int digit;
int upperLimitDigit;
int i;
// Take care not to assign any digit that will result in a number larger
// upperLimit
for (i = 0; i < upperLimitStringLength; i ++){
upperLimitDigit = new Integer(
upperLimit_String.substring(startIndex,endIndex));
startIndex ++;
endIndex ++;
digit = random[i].nextInt(upperLimitDigit + 1);
if (digit != upperLimitDigit){
break;
}
result_String += digit;
}
// Once something smaller than upperLimit guaranteed, assign any digit
// between zero and nine inclusive
for (i = i + 1; i < upperLimitStringLength; i ++) {
digit = random[i].nextInt(10);
result_String += digit;
}
// Tidy values starting with zero(s)
while (result_String.startsWith("0")) {
if (result_String.length() > 1) {
result_String = result_String.substring(1);
} else {
break;
}
}
BigInteger result = new BigInteger(result_String);
return result;
}
For those who are still asking this question and are looking for a way to generate arbitrarily large random BigIntegers within a positive integer range, this is what I came up with. This random generator works without trying bunch of numbers until one fits the range. Instead it will generate a random number directly that will fit the given range.
private static BigInteger RandomBigInteger(BigInteger rangeStart, BigInteger rangeEnd){
Random rand = new Random();
int scale = rangeEnd.toString().length();
String generated = "";
for(int i = 0; i < rangeEnd.toString().length(); i++){
generated += rand.nextInt(10);
}
BigDecimal inputRangeStart = new BigDecimal("0").setScale(scale, RoundingMode.FLOOR);
BigDecimal inputRangeEnd = new BigDecimal(String.format("%0" + (rangeEnd.toString().length()) + "d", 0).replace('0', '9')).setScale(scale, RoundingMode.FLOOR);
BigDecimal outputRangeStart = new BigDecimal(rangeStart).setScale(scale, RoundingMode.FLOOR);
BigDecimal outputRangeEnd = new BigDecimal(rangeEnd).add(new BigDecimal("1")).setScale(scale, RoundingMode.FLOOR); //Adds one to the output range to correct rounding
//Calculates: (generated - inputRangeStart) / (inputRangeEnd - inputRangeStart) * (outputRangeEnd - outputRangeStart) + outputRangeStart
BigDecimal bd1 = new BigDecimal(new BigInteger(generated)).setScale(scale, RoundingMode.FLOOR).subtract(inputRangeStart);
BigDecimal bd2 = inputRangeEnd.subtract(inputRangeStart);
BigDecimal bd3 = bd1.divide(bd2, RoundingMode.FLOOR);
BigDecimal bd4 = outputRangeEnd.subtract(outputRangeStart);
BigDecimal bd5 = bd3.multiply(bd4);
BigDecimal bd6 = bd5.add(outputRangeStart);
BigInteger returnInteger = bd6.setScale(0, RoundingMode.FLOOR).toBigInteger();
returnInteger = (returnInteger.compareTo(rangeEnd) > 0 ? rangeEnd : returnInteger); //Converts number to the end of output range if it's over it. This is to correct rounding.
return returnInteger;
}
How does it work?
First it generates a String with random numbers with the same length as the maximum range. For example: with given range of 10-1000 it will generate some number between 0000 and 9999 as a String.
Then it creates BigDecimals to represent the maximum possible value (9999 in previous example) and minimum value (0) and converts the range parameter BigIntegers to BigDecimals. Also in this step to the given range maximum value is added 1 in order to correct rounding errors in the next step.
Then using this formula the generated random number is mapped to the given range:
(generated - inputRangeStart) / (inputRangeEnd - inputRangeStart) * (outputRangeEnd - outputRangeStart) + outputRangeStart
After that it will do a last check whether or not the mapped number fits the given range and sets it to the given range maximum if it doesn't. This is done in order to correct rounding errors.
Just use modular reduction
new BigInteger(n.bitLength(), new SecureRandom()).mod(n)
Compile this F# code into a DLL and you can also reference it in your C# / VB.NET programs
type BigIntegerRandom() =
static let internalRandom = new Random()
/// Returns a BigInteger random number of the specified number of bytes.
static member RandomBigInteger(numBytes:int, rand:Random) =
let r = if rand=null then internalRandom else rand
let bytes : byte[] = Array.zeroCreate (numBytes+1)
r.NextBytes(bytes)
bytes.[numBytes] <- 0uy
bigint bytes
/// Returns a BigInteger random number from 0 (inclusive) to max (exclusive).
static member RandomBigInteger(max:bigint, rand:Random) =
let rec getNumBytesInRange num bytes = if max < num then bytes else getNumBytesInRange (num * 256I) bytes+1
let bytesNeeded = getNumBytesInRange 256I 1
BigIntegerRandom.RandomBigInteger(bytesNeeded, rand) % max
/// Returns a BigInteger random number from min (inclusive) to max (exclusive).
static member RandomBigInteger(min:bigint, max:bigint, rand:Random) =
BigIntegerRandom.RandomBigInteger(max - min, rand) + min