Balancing randomness
This WebDNA talk-list message is from 2000
It keeps the original formatting.
numero = 27932
interpreted = N
texte = There was a recent thread on the randomness (or lack thereof) of sdir=ra. I had to put something together today to ensure that five randomly selected items got equal play (to get more of a shuffle sort) and I thought the code may be of use to some : )When I just used a [random] tag to generate numbers from 1 to 5 (creating 1000 numbers total for these examples), I got a typical bell curve most strongly weighted on the 3:[math show=f]total1=0,total2=0,total3=0,total4=0,total5=0[/math][loop start=1&end=1000][math]pick=[format .0f][math]pick=(([random]/100)*4)+1[/math][/format][/math][math show=f]total[pick]=[interpret][total[pick]][/interpret]+1[/math][/loop]
[loop start=1&end=5][index] = [interpret][total[index]][/interpret] ([math][interpret][total[index]][/interpret]/10[/math]%)
[/loop]1 = 153 (15.3%)2 = 227 (22.7%)3 = 254 (25.4%)4 = 233 (23.3%)5 = 133 (13.3%)-----------------------------So I set up a separate database to serve as a lookup for the numbers ...prizeShuffle.db:ref numcount 11 32 13 44 55 2... and then stepped through each number in turn. Each time after using them all, they're given another pass through, this time randomly swapping their positions and resetting the count to 1.[math show=f]total1=0,total2=0,total3=0,total4=0,total5=0[/math][loop start=1&end=1000][math show=f]theCount=[lookup db=prizeShuffle.db&value=count&lookInField=ref&returnField=num¬Found=1][/math][math]pickNum=[lookup db=prizeShuffle.db&value=[theCount]&lookInField=ref&returnField=num¬Found=1][/math] [math show=f]total[pickNum]=[interpret][total[pickNum]][/interpret]+1[/math][showif [math]theCount=[theCount]+1[/math]=6][replace db=prizeShuffle.db&eqRefData=count]num=1[/replace][loop start=1&end=5][math show=f]swap=[format .0f][math]pick=(([random]/100)*4)+1[/math][/format][/math][math show=f]temp=[lookup db=prizeShuffle.db&value=[index]&lookInField=ref&returnField=num¬Found=1][/math][replace db=prizeShuffle.db&eqRefData=[index]]num=[lookup db=prizeShuffle.db&value=[swap]&lookInField=ref&returnField=num¬Found=1][/replace][replace db=prizeShuffle.db&eqRefData=[swap]]num=[temp][/replace][/loop][/showif][showif [theCount]!6][replace db=prizeShuffle.db&eqRefData=count]num=[theCount][/replace][/showif][/loop]
[loop start=1&end=5][index] = [interpret][total[index]][/interpret] ([math][interpret][total[index]][/interpret]/10[/math]%)
[/loop]1 = 200 (20%)2 = 200 (20%)3 = 200 (20%)4 = 200 (20%)5 = 200 (20%)Whazoo! : )Rob MarquardtDesigner/Resident WireheadToast Design800 Washington Avenue NorthMinneapolis MN 55401612.330.9863 v612.321.9424 fwww.toastdesign.com-------------------------------------------------------------Brought to you by CommuniGate Pro - The Buzz Word Compliant Messaging Server.To end your Mail problems go to
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Associated Messages, from the most recent to the oldest:
There was a recent thread on the randomness (or lack thereof) of sdir=ra. I had to put something together today to ensure that five randomly selected items got equal play (to get more of a shuffle sort) and I thought the code may be of use to some : )When I just used a [random] tag to generate numbers from 1 to 5 (creating 1000 numbers total for these examples), I got a typical bell curve most strongly weighted on the 3:[math show=f]total1=0,total2=0,total3=0,total4=0,total5=0[/math][loop start=1&end=1000][math]pick=[format .0f][math]pick=(([random]/100)*4)+1[/math][/format][/math][math show=f]total[pick]=[interpret][total[pick]][/interpret]+1[/math][/loop]
[loop start=1&end=5][index] = [interpret][total[index]][/interpret] ([math][interpret][total[index]][/interpret]/10[/math]%)
[/loop]1 = 153 (15.3%)2 = 227 (22.7%)3 = 254 (25.4%)4 = 233 (23.3%)5 = 133 (13.3%)-----------------------------So I set up a separate database to serve as a lookup for the numbers ...prizeShuffle.db:ref numcount 11 32 13 44 55 2... and then stepped through each number in turn. Each time after using them all, they're given another pass through, this time randomly swapping their positions and resetting the count to 1.[math show=f]total1=0,total2=0,total3=0,total4=0,total5=0[/math][loop start=1&end=1000][math show=f]theCount=[lookup db=prizeShuffle.db&value=count&lookInField=ref&returnField=num¬Found=1][/math][math]pickNum=[lookup db=prizeShuffle.db&value=[theCount]&lookInField=ref&returnField=num¬Found=1][/math] [math show=f]total[pickNum]=[interpret][total[pickNum]][/interpret]+1[/math][showif [math]theCount=[theCount]+1[/math]=6][replace db=prizeShuffle.db&eqRefData=count]num=1[/replace][loop start=1&end=5][math show=f]swap=[format .0f][math]pick=(([random]/100)*4)+1[/math][/format][/math][math show=f]temp=[lookup db=prizeShuffle.db&value=[index]&lookInField=ref&returnField=num¬Found=1][/math][replace db=prizeShuffle.db&eqRefData=[index]]num=[lookup db=prizeShuffle.db&value=[swap]&lookInField=ref&returnField=num¬Found=1][/replace][replace db=prizeShuffle.db&eqRefData=[swap]]num=[temp][/replace][/loop][/showif][showif [theCount]!6][replace db=prizeShuffle.db&eqRefData=count]num=[theCount][/replace][/showif][/loop]
[loop start=1&end=5][index] = [interpret][total[index]][/interpret] ([math][interpret][total[index]][/interpret]/10[/math]%)
[/loop]1 = 200 (20%)2 = 200 (20%)3 = 200 (20%)4 = 200 (20%)5 = 200 (20%)Whazoo! : )Rob MarquardtDesigner/Resident WireheadToast Design800 Washington Avenue NorthMinneapolis MN 55401612.330.9863 v612.321.9424 fwww.toastdesign.com-------------------------------------------------------------Brought to you by CommuniGate Pro - The Buzz Word Compliant Messaging Server.To end your Mail problems go to .This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list .To unsubscribe, E-mail to: To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to
Rob Marquardt
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