Random Numbers

Uniform deviates are just random numbers that lie within a specified range (typically 0 to 1), with any one number in the range just as likely as any other. They are, in other words, what you probably think random numbers are. However, we want to distinguish uniform deviates from other sorts of random numbers, for example numbers drawn from a normal (Gaussian) distribution of specified mean and standard deviation. These other sorts of deviates are almost always generated by performing appropriate operations on one or more uniform deviates, as we will see in subsequent sections. So, a reliable source of random uniform deviates, the subject of this section, is an essential building block for any sort of stochastic modeling or Monte Carlo computer work.