Just what is a quantum random number generator? With a word like ‘quantum’ in the name, it seems mysterious and far too sciencey for mere mortals to comprehend. However, it is just a fancy way of saying that it will create random numbers for your code or your programming without the subtle pattern often detected in most random number generating software. Keep reading for the low down on what a quantum random number generator is, and how you can best put it to use in your programming.
A quantum random number generator, or QRNG, is just like the standard random number program that came with your software, only it is actually MORE random. Just as a standard random number generator can not give you truly random numbers, you can be sure that this one will. Or, at the very least, a pattern will be so slight that you will not even recognize it.
What types of random number generators exist?
We are focusing now on a quantum random number generator. However, if you want to create numbers, create code that is a little more sturdy, you might check out a HRNG, or hardware random numbers generator. Intel, the huge computer company, has started using them almost exclusively.
A quantum random number generator is one of the most important tools you will have in safety. Pretty much all encryption protocols require a long string of randomly generated numbers, and using quantum mechanics to get them is really the only way to make sure it’s truly random.
Is your number truly random?
If we do not know where a number came from, can we really call it random? True, there is some degree of randomness woven into the fabric of our lives. However, for a computer program, or special encryption to work, a really long string of numbers with no discernible pattern is required. And for a number to be truly random, you can not just look at the numbers themselves. You also must analyze how the numbers come up, and in what order. This is never a fun project.
Do you need a truly random number?
We talk so much about it, you probably feel you need a truly random number, that nothing will stop you in your quest for a perfectly random number that can’t be predicted or explained. However, the fact is that they are only used for a very specific purpose. If you highly value being safe and having your personal information safely encrypted, or if you make digital games,a truly random number will be your best friend.
However, if you are creating a simulation, for events that may happen, or you are sure will happen, or happen on a schedule, that mirrors a real world event, randomness is not the end all, be all. A little randomness is fine, but just as the real world holds a lot of patterns, you will want your simulation to reflect that. One truly random number generator, though, requires real life events to plan out its output and relies on the randomness of life to help it out. These seem contradictory, but they actually work in tandem. A truly random number sequence only SEEMS to be so, it is actually a very subtle pattern, one that can be used over and over again. It is considered a truly random number because patterns only start becoming apparent after it is generated, you will not be able, under normal circumstances, to predict the next number in the sequence.
Quantum random number generators and what to do with them
You probably already know that a quantum random numbers generator is really the only way to get a really random number. But what will you use it for? The simple answer would be to make sure that your ‘secure communications’ actually are secure. It doesn’t matter if you are trading tate secrets, or just really secret recipes, being secure in your lines of communication is always a good thing. Companies employ a quantum random number generator to decide who gets a random drug test, online game odds (for gambling and such), and whatever else they can think of that will benefit from some randomness and make a profit.
But what will you use it for? Sure, it is just a nice thing to have, but what purpose will you give it? Number generators are used in so many aspects of our daily lives, but mainly behind the scenes. This means that while they do an incredibly important job, it is not one that mos of us see on a daily basis.
For something like developing your own digital games, giving an air of randomness is something you want. At the same time, they can be helpful when running a simulation based on teaching you to drive an automobile. The randomness of events will surely tie in quite well with the randomness of the outside world.
However, the biggest application for a truly random number is that of encryption. You want a really random number so that no one can break in, or find a back door decorated with the numbers that let them in. This is one reason why people do not trust hardware random number generators. Sure, they look sleek and generally work by analyzing the decay of radioactive materials (Does anything sound cooler?), but they were also what Edward Snowden, that hacker elite, used one of these bad boys to break into the files he was around.
So now that you know of the best types of random number generators, and the use to which they are typically put, you have to decide which one is for you. remember, a truly random number may be flashy, but do you really need it? If so, take a look into the field of a Quantum Random Numbers Generator. They are the most dependable, reliant random number generators you can find, and the uses to which you can put them to will astound you.
