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(gawk.info)Cliff Random Function

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The Cliff Random Number Generator
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   The Cliff random number generator(1) is a very simple random number
generator that "passes the noise sphere test for randomness by showing
no structure."  It is easily programmed, in less than 10 lines of `awk'
code:

     # cliff_rand.awk --- generate Cliff random numbers
     BEGIN { _cliff_seed = 0.1 }
     
     function cliff_rand()
     {
         _cliff_seed = (100 * log(_cliff_seed)) % 1
         if (_cliff_seed < 0)
             _cliff_seed = - _cliff_seed
         return _cliff_seed
     }

   This algorithm requires an initial "seed" of 0.1.  Each new value
uses the current seed as input for the calculation.  If the built-in
`rand' function (Note: Numeric Functions) isn't random enough, you
might try using this function instead.

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) `http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CliffRandomNumberGenerator.hmtl'