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A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates
This book was a product of RAND's pioneering work in computing, as well a testament to the patience and persistence of researchers in the early days of RAND.
628 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2001
About the author
RAND Corporation
52 books7 followersThe RAND Corporation is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 8, 2012
Just like the title says, this book contains one million random digits. It was anything but predictable. In fact, I didn't know how it was going to end until the last page.
June 8, 2008
Yet another brilliant contribution to our culture by the Rand Corporation.
A work of shocking deviates and heartrending inequalities, the plot will keep you guessing all the way to its bold climax and controversial ending. I'd have never guessed the outcome of this book! I only wish that Rand would do more to develop some of the characters. For instance, I was intrigued by 93714, but was disappointed that she never appeared later in the story.
All in all, though, a classic.
A work of shocking deviates and heartrending inequalities, the plot will keep you guessing all the way to its bold climax and controversial ending. I'd have never guessed the outcome of this book! I only wish that Rand would do more to develop some of the characters. For instance, I was intrigued by 93714, but was disappointed that she never appeared later in the story.
All in all, though, a classic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2011
Some books are the toast of the town - praises sung to the heavens by the literati elite - yet fail to satisfy.
In contrast, this one delivers - big time. It's not without reason that the Rand Corporation named this little baby A Million Random Digits (feat. 100,000 Normal Deviates).
WARNING - SPOILER!
Here's a taste of page 117:
"05800 23930 04508 62244 35048 50242 67999 31536 25407 71989 45433"
If you want more (and surely you do!) go get yourself a copy - wherever Rand Corporation publications are sold!
In contrast, this one delivers - big time. It's not without reason that the Rand Corporation named this little baby A Million Random Digits (feat. 100,000 Normal Deviates).
WARNING - SPOILER!
Here's a taste of page 117:
"05800 23930 04508 62244 35048 50242 67999 31536 25407 71989 45433"
If you want more (and surely you do!) go get yourself a copy - wherever Rand Corporation publications are sold!
June 28, 2016
I'm blown away by how much creativity is in this book. Not one moment I was bored because I never knew what was going to happen next.
Currently Reading
March 9, 2007It's gotten off to a rollicking start, but I don't know if they're going to be able to sustain the energy....
June 8, 2010
This is a book of 1 million random digits. Seriously. That's all.
October 6, 2018
A unique book and a unique plot. Parts of the book remind me slightly of the movie "And then there were none". except the plot is much more complex and intricate. You truly cannot tell how many there will be at any point in time.
Here is a tip if you want new take on an old classic. When you get to the 5848394382..... part rotate the book upside down and read the pages in sequence but upside down. That way the overall plot is the same, and there are the same original 9 characters but you get an alternative ending.
Here is a tip if you want new take on an old classic. When you get to the 5848394382..... part rotate the book upside down and read the pages in sequence but upside down. That way the overall plot is the same, and there are the same original 9 characters but you get an alternative ending.
February 11, 2015
A gripping story, well developed characters and some very quotable writing. I particularly like 3976897 and his friend 976887. Surprisingly repetitive at times, however - there are only 9 or so distinct themes in the entire book. The authors skill lies in his ability to combine them.
August 22, 2011
very interesting...
June 1, 2012
It is what it is. I use it for illustrating what a probability ot 1/1,000,000 actually looks like.
April 18, 2021
Couldn't put it down
June 12, 2021
gripping
Did Not Finish
May 13, 2022Not an exhilarating read.
April 17, 2024
crazy!!! i honestly didn’t see the end coming at all! 10/10
June 23, 2022
I featured this book on a "Meme Review" segment of my podcast (Review Party Dot Com), highlighting the unexpected attention it has received, sampling a selection of jokey reviews, then reading it myself and adding my own jokey AND legitimate reviews to the pile. Find them below...
My Meme Review
Used to be you’d ask a lady for her digits, call her up, and if you were lucky, you’d spend a night enjoying the warm embrace of another human. Used to be simple. Used to make sense. Used to feel real.
No more. No, now the only thing that grips you, day after day, is worry. But then again, that just gets worn down by an ever-pressing weariness, the kind that draws the life out of you, bit by bit, until the morning you pull your knife on that stranger in the mirror.
I don’t remember when it was, I first spotted a femme droid in the city; she was standing there like any other creep, waiting for the bus home from work. I’d say it was a crisp autumn day, but every day is so Goddamn hot anymore, it’s hard to tell. Maybe it was just the chill I felt in my bones, my heart, in that useless stuff called flesh and blood.
These days, that stuff’s pretty rare, and companionship more scarce than ever.
“How aboutta night with a ‘real woman’” they say from the corners, “don’tcha want a goil who don’t get tired?” Whoever the hell taught’em to speak that way, I’ve half a mind to- well, let’s just say it’s about as appealing as a straight shave from a cyclops, these Goddamned sirens.
Funny. Even now, my business is chasing sirens.
And even if they aren’t living, they are my living; so I guess I owe them, them and the RAND. When these bots run off with some sad sap’s pocket change, or worse, I know where to look. I know how to talk. Once upon a time, a wink and some wit would land you answers. These days it’s a mathematical masquerade; we dance around each other until a certain sequence rings in their ears. Or what you’d call ears, anyway.
I stand, book in hand, and quote, like some damned fool pouring out his heart of poetry or a mad preacher lamenting the end of days. And maybe I’m both.
“57186” “40218” “16544”
That’s all it takes. They settle into themselves, somehow give the impression they’re blushing but without any blood. Sometimes all I’ll manage is one digit and the code is cracked. Like they were dying for someone to talk to, dying to be treated like something more than what they are.
But how can you be dying for something if you never really lived for something?
And is never really living any worse than living in a world that doesn’t look like what you remember?
There’s an old joke, goes: do androids dream of electric sheep? The ones I meet never sleep again, but one once let slip that they do dream, or something like it. And it’s all random numbers. Endless combinations and infinite possibilities. Like in the book. Like in the RAND.
I come to them speaking their dreams and fanatasies, and then I snuff’em out.
How is it that I feel sorry for them, a touch of envy in my eyes as theirs go dim.
Maybe that’s just the weariness talking.
What a weight to be human. Still.
My Real Review
In the modern era, the age of the internet, a time of smart-anythings and bluetooth-everythings, with wifi ALWAYS enabled, this book is not going to offer you much in the way of practical utility.
If you need random numbers, in bulk or otherwise, a heavy book is not likely your go-to option; the computing power of today overwhelmingly dwarfs what was capable at the time of this book’s publication. The ENIAC, which was 8’x3’x100’ in size and had to be manually rewired to change its “programming” for a new task, could calculate missile trajectories in 15 seconds (the same calculations taking a human two weeks). Today we would struggle to even measure the slightness of time taken to make the same calculations.
Modern iPhones have more processing power than any machine deemed a supercomputer through the year 2001. Coincidentally, also in 2001, this book was reissued by RAND, and its apparent novelty and “random”ness led to a high (but very countable) number of whimsical reviews, this one included.
So what can you do with this book? What’s it good for?
Well, it takes up space on a shelf or coffee table. If you enjoy data, statistics, math, or just old book smells and yellowed pages, you’d probably enjoy an old copy. No one needs the reissue, not even as a joke.
Much like How to Avoid Huge Ships, the market for this book shrinks evermore as time and technology take over. If you want the history lesson, here they are, but we might as well just leave them be.
I mean, you can actually read How to Avoid Huge Ships, so no knocks against it. And you will learn, too. But there isn’t much to be learned here. It’s just numbers. Let the dead lie.
My Meme Review
Used to be you’d ask a lady for her digits, call her up, and if you were lucky, you’d spend a night enjoying the warm embrace of another human. Used to be simple. Used to make sense. Used to feel real.
No more. No, now the only thing that grips you, day after day, is worry. But then again, that just gets worn down by an ever-pressing weariness, the kind that draws the life out of you, bit by bit, until the morning you pull your knife on that stranger in the mirror.
I don’t remember when it was, I first spotted a femme droid in the city; she was standing there like any other creep, waiting for the bus home from work. I’d say it was a crisp autumn day, but every day is so Goddamn hot anymore, it’s hard to tell. Maybe it was just the chill I felt in my bones, my heart, in that useless stuff called flesh and blood.
These days, that stuff’s pretty rare, and companionship more scarce than ever.
“How aboutta night with a ‘real woman’” they say from the corners, “don’tcha want a goil who don’t get tired?” Whoever the hell taught’em to speak that way, I’ve half a mind to- well, let’s just say it’s about as appealing as a straight shave from a cyclops, these Goddamned sirens.
Funny. Even now, my business is chasing sirens.
And even if they aren’t living, they are my living; so I guess I owe them, them and the RAND. When these bots run off with some sad sap’s pocket change, or worse, I know where to look. I know how to talk. Once upon a time, a wink and some wit would land you answers. These days it’s a mathematical masquerade; we dance around each other until a certain sequence rings in their ears. Or what you’d call ears, anyway.
I stand, book in hand, and quote, like some damned fool pouring out his heart of poetry or a mad preacher lamenting the end of days. And maybe I’m both.
“57186” “40218” “16544”
That’s all it takes. They settle into themselves, somehow give the impression they’re blushing but without any blood. Sometimes all I’ll manage is one digit and the code is cracked. Like they were dying for someone to talk to, dying to be treated like something more than what they are.
But how can you be dying for something if you never really lived for something?
And is never really living any worse than living in a world that doesn’t look like what you remember?
There’s an old joke, goes: do androids dream of electric sheep? The ones I meet never sleep again, but one once let slip that they do dream, or something like it. And it’s all random numbers. Endless combinations and infinite possibilities. Like in the book. Like in the RAND.
I come to them speaking their dreams and fanatasies, and then I snuff’em out.
How is it that I feel sorry for them, a touch of envy in my eyes as theirs go dim.
Maybe that’s just the weariness talking.
What a weight to be human. Still.
My Real Review
In the modern era, the age of the internet, a time of smart-anythings and bluetooth-everythings, with wifi ALWAYS enabled, this book is not going to offer you much in the way of practical utility.
If you need random numbers, in bulk or otherwise, a heavy book is not likely your go-to option; the computing power of today overwhelmingly dwarfs what was capable at the time of this book’s publication. The ENIAC, which was 8’x3’x100’ in size and had to be manually rewired to change its “programming” for a new task, could calculate missile trajectories in 15 seconds (the same calculations taking a human two weeks). Today we would struggle to even measure the slightness of time taken to make the same calculations.
Modern iPhones have more processing power than any machine deemed a supercomputer through the year 2001. Coincidentally, also in 2001, this book was reissued by RAND, and its apparent novelty and “random”ness led to a high (but very countable) number of whimsical reviews, this one included.
So what can you do with this book? What’s it good for?
Well, it takes up space on a shelf or coffee table. If you enjoy data, statistics, math, or just old book smells and yellowed pages, you’d probably enjoy an old copy. No one needs the reissue, not even as a joke.
Much like How to Avoid Huge Ships, the market for this book shrinks evermore as time and technology take over. If you want the history lesson, here they are, but we might as well just leave them be.
I mean, you can actually read How to Avoid Huge Ships, so no knocks against it. And you will learn, too. But there isn’t much to be learned here. It’s just numbers. Let the dead lie.
March 4, 2022
This book is a must-read, and should be part of the school curriculum. One of the most influential books of the 21st century. The disjointedness between dramatic situations in your quintessential Tarantino movie; most of the success of post-modernism; Las Vegas; Monte Carlo experiments; much of Statistics; diffusion (contrasted with turbulence); the concept of entropy; Goddesses Kali and Venus; the Yin of the Yijing written as long ago as 800 BC -- all are contained in this one uber simple-complicated book.
There is no meaning in the whole story, just a random bunch of events. Sure, there are some sequences of events more remarkable than others, but not persistently so. The climax is not particularly dramatic. If this doesn't teach half of all what you need to know about life, I don't know what will.
The only draw back of this book is that it is just the Yin. The Yang is the other side of the coin, which the book mentions not once. So in this respect, this book is only half the story of the universe.
Read it, study it, master it, and maybe even worship it.
Solomon Vimal
[March 4, 2022; edited Nov 5, 2023]
There is no meaning in the whole story, just a random bunch of events. Sure, there are some sequences of events more remarkable than others, but not persistently so. The climax is not particularly dramatic. If this doesn't teach half of all what you need to know about life, I don't know what will.
The only draw back of this book is that it is just the Yin. The Yang is the other side of the coin, which the book mentions not once. So in this respect, this book is only half the story of the universe.
Read it, study it, master it, and maybe even worship it.
Solomon Vimal
[March 4, 2022; edited Nov 5, 2023]
July 17, 2026
Throughout my life I've read plenty of books, but it was only recently that I decided to take on the lengthy task of reading society's most foundational books. I started with modern classics, those that I was fairly familiar with. The Catcher in the Rye, 1984, All Quiet on the Western front, etc, etc. The plan was to start here and work my way through the annals of historical, philosophical, and religious texts. There was one book on my list that I dreaded more than all the others. A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates. A book of a million numbers? Why should I spend my time reading that? But upon cracking open the cover, I was instantly glued. I can verifiably say that this book changed me as a person. My entire outlook on life shifted. I laughed. I wept. I saw the universe through the eyes of the characters in a way that a book had never allowed me to do. I immediately discarded my to-read list and will delete my goodreads account after this review is published. Why should I even try to read books? Why should books even exist any longer, when this masterpiece accounts for every concept that could even be conceived to be put on paper?
I find it hard to even collect my thoughts for this review, because of the breadth of subjects that this book covers. Therefore, in lieu of discussing particular themes or getting into my thoughts about the characters' motivations, or even the writing style, I wish to share some of my favorite passages. Mild spoilers ahead.
Starting on page 293, there is a particularly emotional exchange:
"18495 73026 81574 04983 26150 97718 60245 31489 75630
89057 44316 72598 16082 50934 28771 64195 03842 97560 11186
47095 62318 84275 35906 01827 76450 29581 53764 98023 41675
13280 57439 66128 84095 21736 45510 70264 39857 58142 96403
31840 22759 85617 09346 47120 60838 91552 74081 13695 28477
50981 66237 14594 83076 21945 98732 57468 04125 39017 75864
84209 11576 62384 57019 46625 93180 20457 78936 65041 37298
25781 94036 71825 08394 66512 10478 59236 83147 44608 27951
77023 56491 13857 00264 92175 65318 44790 81652 03981 72544
69413 20857 58046 13792 36581 94320 71488 25169 47055 88301
15942 80637 23291 69054 51783 04416 97825 35160 62879 10455
41268 73591 08647 90351 22179 65804 14463 59287 83016 47902
98175 05734 61892 24350 76418 52963 88710 31659 47082 19534
64027 75381 11986 90524 28673 55140 43268 01795 66831 92450
20841 53977 86142 07469 31088 64527 92731 48605 15039 77284
57369 01284 69455 33180 87026 45891 70314 29576 81643 94017
14973 62081 55490 08736 79124 23850 46187 97033 61542 82769
38416 75204 11837 56392 90274 25561 64980 07153"
I would also like to highlight the scene when 42908 discovers the purpose and creation of space and time, rendering him an omniscient being who would go on to create our universe and thus this book itself:
"75194 08632 41579 92084 36715 54028 11863 79450 63281 05749
28360 91745 55012 64873 90164 37258 81649 23570 78431 16925
60487 13859 72604 05381 99542 24710 68035 47192 35608 82467
91054 33781 26495 70816 54302 81977 15260 48631 97025 61584
14876 59023 83154 27608 46971 00538 75214 98760 34125 61893
73041 25968 10754 84362 59601 47289 66530 21487 95841 03675
58629 14075 97834 35120 70246 86419 02753 61844 29581 77106
43218 69307 85541 17026 38459 92148 51673 04097 68812 25430
91537 46780 23861 70945 18632 65019 34478 82150 59726 40381
05264 71490 93815 28043 67581 12697 55402 86934 31768 04025
64892 31705 87246 19058 53367 78401 24963 90615 46288 73154
10583 65940 41827 97531 28069 73188 04216 55703 81492 36875
79405 12367 50681 43825 96074 21589 34761 68204 55198 87032
23659 08413 91846 75320 60257 14938 88625 47103 32784 59061
87542 64031 21568 47950 10286 79314 56822 93475 08163 45790
31084 58762 14259 90817 73650 48123 27586 69034 85311 12974
46817 25194 03568 77412 98063 51429 30675 84720 19286 56041
98320 71456 46180 32895 00572 68913 24708 83591 67024 15843
25407 84631 70982 41530 63178 59246 10387 97815 42069 36754
51879 06243 38495 15072 74631 20854 86139 57302 99518 61427
84253 37918 06495 25731 48607 91584 62038 17346 75891 04162
13580 92746 50189 76235 34870 69412 85760 23095 41687 78351
67904 21853 98470 56138 04297 73564 10982 65217 87135 29406
02769 84153 61597 38042 55371 90618 72435 16780 49825 03264
79086 35149 26417 82503 90764 18325 57640 01189 63872 45091
44278 76953 12084 69425 85731 30560 27819 98157 53642 71408
81943 65710 04265 53281 17409 86034 29516 74380 61725 48903
56431 80276 13895 94752 26041 73589 48016 52937 87104 65328
20475 91368 55640 32819 14752 60483 78290 01537 96041 27586
68741 45093 23176 81529 37048 96415 50872 14639 72980 38157
95314 62087 17856 09421 64508 83719 26450 78163 01972 55684
31275 48906 72031 86549 14380 59162 40735 91824 63057 77218
84729 13468 95107 28653 60014 32587 79043 41865 56291 07384
02591 76842 38407 51986 97213 65074 14682 89350 23147 48769
59063 01287 84395 36510 70841 25976 97134 15482 62059 88671
47182 63890 21543 78056 50429 16735 84291 39568 01427 65380
70945 52863 18094 41625 89703 23574 96158 70246 37489 12035
68427 35198 94360 07815 51284 26937 88041 63759 15402 49678
13059 80726 45183 69214 32570 96481 57326 21845 78590 04713
83612 54097 27185 68430 15379 92864 41705 76028 34591 88256
61805 27394 95061 18247 73650 40581 26739 81420 55973 69018
24783 96504 30158 72896 01473 85629 49035 17284 63751 92046
58261 13409 74682 25197 96350 61748 38025 89517 04263 57890
91835 47026 60219 15384 78942 26570 03168 54491 82635 10729
36491 72805 81563 49017 20684 97152 65830 34276 58319 74068
05147 83926 27418 66593 12075 48760 95138 30426 71659 28340
67352 01849 59763 84210 13578 42605 78031 96142 55874 20916
89471 36025 71984 03267 68159 24703 51086 87435 19260 64358
12648 90531 43762 75809 08465 31972 64018 55783 97124 28690
73015 58246 14379 86052 29481 61537 07894 35126 94270"
Wow. Just wow.
Objectively the defining work of human and mathematical conscience, one that will continue to redefine our existence for the remainder of time itself.
I find it hard to even collect my thoughts for this review, because of the breadth of subjects that this book covers. Therefore, in lieu of discussing particular themes or getting into my thoughts about the characters' motivations, or even the writing style, I wish to share some of my favorite passages. Mild spoilers ahead.
Starting on page 293, there is a particularly emotional exchange:
"18495 73026 81574 04983 26150 97718 60245 31489 75630
89057 44316 72598 16082 50934 28771 64195 03842 97560 11186
47095 62318 84275 35906 01827 76450 29581 53764 98023 41675
13280 57439 66128 84095 21736 45510 70264 39857 58142 96403
31840 22759 85617 09346 47120 60838 91552 74081 13695 28477
50981 66237 14594 83076 21945 98732 57468 04125 39017 75864
84209 11576 62384 57019 46625 93180 20457 78936 65041 37298
25781 94036 71825 08394 66512 10478 59236 83147 44608 27951
77023 56491 13857 00264 92175 65318 44790 81652 03981 72544
69413 20857 58046 13792 36581 94320 71488 25169 47055 88301
15942 80637 23291 69054 51783 04416 97825 35160 62879 10455
41268 73591 08647 90351 22179 65804 14463 59287 83016 47902
98175 05734 61892 24350 76418 52963 88710 31659 47082 19534
64027 75381 11986 90524 28673 55140 43268 01795 66831 92450
20841 53977 86142 07469 31088 64527 92731 48605 15039 77284
57369 01284 69455 33180 87026 45891 70314 29576 81643 94017
14973 62081 55490 08736 79124 23850 46187 97033 61542 82769
38416 75204 11837 56392 90274 25561 64980 07153"
I would also like to highlight the scene when 42908 discovers the purpose and creation of space and time, rendering him an omniscient being who would go on to create our universe and thus this book itself:
"75194 08632 41579 92084 36715 54028 11863 79450 63281 05749
28360 91745 55012 64873 90164 37258 81649 23570 78431 16925
60487 13859 72604 05381 99542 24710 68035 47192 35608 82467
91054 33781 26495 70816 54302 81977 15260 48631 97025 61584
14876 59023 83154 27608 46971 00538 75214 98760 34125 61893
73041 25968 10754 84362 59601 47289 66530 21487 95841 03675
58629 14075 97834 35120 70246 86419 02753 61844 29581 77106
43218 69307 85541 17026 38459 92148 51673 04097 68812 25430
91537 46780 23861 70945 18632 65019 34478 82150 59726 40381
05264 71490 93815 28043 67581 12697 55402 86934 31768 04025
64892 31705 87246 19058 53367 78401 24963 90615 46288 73154
10583 65940 41827 97531 28069 73188 04216 55703 81492 36875
79405 12367 50681 43825 96074 21589 34761 68204 55198 87032
23659 08413 91846 75320 60257 14938 88625 47103 32784 59061
87542 64031 21568 47950 10286 79314 56822 93475 08163 45790
31084 58762 14259 90817 73650 48123 27586 69034 85311 12974
46817 25194 03568 77412 98063 51429 30675 84720 19286 56041
98320 71456 46180 32895 00572 68913 24708 83591 67024 15843
25407 84631 70982 41530 63178 59246 10387 97815 42069 36754
51879 06243 38495 15072 74631 20854 86139 57302 99518 61427
84253 37918 06495 25731 48607 91584 62038 17346 75891 04162
13580 92746 50189 76235 34870 69412 85760 23095 41687 78351
67904 21853 98470 56138 04297 73564 10982 65217 87135 29406
02769 84153 61597 38042 55371 90618 72435 16780 49825 03264
79086 35149 26417 82503 90764 18325 57640 01189 63872 45091
44278 76953 12084 69425 85731 30560 27819 98157 53642 71408
81943 65710 04265 53281 17409 86034 29516 74380 61725 48903
56431 80276 13895 94752 26041 73589 48016 52937 87104 65328
20475 91368 55640 32819 14752 60483 78290 01537 96041 27586
68741 45093 23176 81529 37048 96415 50872 14639 72980 38157
95314 62087 17856 09421 64508 83719 26450 78163 01972 55684
31275 48906 72031 86549 14380 59162 40735 91824 63057 77218
84729 13468 95107 28653 60014 32587 79043 41865 56291 07384
02591 76842 38407 51986 97213 65074 14682 89350 23147 48769
59063 01287 84395 36510 70841 25976 97134 15482 62059 88671
47182 63890 21543 78056 50429 16735 84291 39568 01427 65380
70945 52863 18094 41625 89703 23574 96158 70246 37489 12035
68427 35198 94360 07815 51284 26937 88041 63759 15402 49678
13059 80726 45183 69214 32570 96481 57326 21845 78590 04713
83612 54097 27185 68430 15379 92864 41705 76028 34591 88256
61805 27394 95061 18247 73650 40581 26739 81420 55973 69018
24783 96504 30158 72896 01473 85629 49035 17284 63751 92046
58261 13409 74682 25197 96350 61748 38025 89517 04263 57890
91835 47026 60219 15384 78942 26570 03168 54491 82635 10729
36491 72805 81563 49017 20684 97152 65830 34276 58319 74068
05147 83926 27418 66593 12075 48760 95138 30426 71659 28340
67352 01849 59763 84210 13578 42605 78031 96142 55874 20916
89471 36025 71984 03267 68159 24703 51086 87435 19260 64358
12648 90531 43762 75809 08465 31972 64018 55783 97124 28690
73015 58246 14379 86052 29481 61537 07894 35126 94270"
Wow. Just wow.
Objectively the defining work of human and mathematical conscience, one that will continue to redefine our existence for the remainder of time itself.
May 20, 2007
This book is a list of random numbers.
They are not truly random, though. But it was as close as they could get at the time.
It can be quite contemplative. In a weird way.
They are not truly random, though. But it was as close as they could get at the time.
It can be quite contemplative. In a weird way.
July 4, 2021
A real page-turner. Loads of fun for the whole family.
March 5, 2024
Excellent contribution to the world of science. Remarkably innovative and ahead of its time.
A little hard to read at times, as the author found the need to cram information in the later chapters. However, it's clearly written as such for a reason. It's a science text, so be sure to read and re-read passages as often as possible. There aren't very many examples in the actual text, but the homework problems are very basic and easy to understand.
Speaking of the homework problems, they are really helpful. They start off easy and increase in difficulty. I highly suggesting doing as many as possible, as the author was kind enough to leave all of the solutions in the back. I was having a lot of trouble with data analysis and linear algebra, but a couple pages of this book completely changed my perspective.
If I were being honest, I would recommend memorizing as much content as possible. A lot of the information in this book is very useful, and it would be helpful to recall it off the top of your head.
Absolutely recommend this for anyone studying STEM. Great reference to have on hand, really eye-opening to the boundless realms of science.
A little hard to read at times, as the author found the need to cram information in the later chapters. However, it's clearly written as such for a reason. It's a science text, so be sure to read and re-read passages as often as possible. There aren't very many examples in the actual text, but the homework problems are very basic and easy to understand.
Speaking of the homework problems, they are really helpful. They start off easy and increase in difficulty. I highly suggesting doing as many as possible, as the author was kind enough to leave all of the solutions in the back. I was having a lot of trouble with data analysis and linear algebra, but a couple pages of this book completely changed my perspective.
If I were being honest, I would recommend memorizing as much content as possible. A lot of the information in this book is very useful, and it would be helpful to recall it off the top of your head.
Absolutely recommend this for anyone studying STEM. Great reference to have on hand, really eye-opening to the boundless realms of science.
November 1, 2023
I've found this book to be incredibly useful in my life. If I ever need a number, I just open it to a random page and point my finger down, and there's a number!
But, don't do what I did. The act of choosing a page and then pointing with your finger biases the results. The best thing to do is start at the beginning, and use numbers in sequence as they are needed. The authors have put a lot of effort into randomizing the numbers, so choosing in sequence is the best way to choose randomly.
So far, I've won the lottery and done well on the stock market just by basing my decisions on the numbers in this book. It works!!!
But, don't do what I did. The act of choosing a page and then pointing with your finger biases the results. The best thing to do is start at the beginning, and use numbers in sequence as they are needed. The authors have put a lot of effort into randomizing the numbers, so choosing in sequence is the best way to choose randomly.
So far, I've won the lottery and done well on the stock market just by basing my decisions on the numbers in this book. It works!!!
December 7, 2024
It’s kinda hard to get for a book with a normal distribution.
Approximately 95% of the time you’ll feel you’ll be around one central point, even though there are two deviations that throw you into random directions –surprisingly, the book lacks of a scatter plot. I enjoyed that the character accounts for various aspects of life, feels timeless and universal.
Approximately 95% of the time you’ll feel you’ll be around one central point, even though there are two deviations that throw you into random directions –surprisingly, the book lacks of a scatter plot. I enjoyed that the character accounts for various aspects of life, feels timeless and universal.
November 3, 2019
This is just random numbers jumbled together! How could this piece of wood wasting garbage POSSIBLY get a 4.37 rating?! There's no rhyme, no reasoning, no intrigue, NOTHING about this filth that deserves such praise!
And don't counter by saying "you didn't get it" or "you're missing the point." I DID get it and the phrase "you're missing the point" is absolutely condescending and intolerant. It would be more literally phrased as "your opinion stinks because I don't agree with it." There.
PS I'm not changing my stance on this. You guys can't make me!
PPS I don't like tropeless tales and never will. Deal. With. IT!
And don't counter by saying "you didn't get it" or "you're missing the point." I DID get it and the phrase "you're missing the point" is absolutely condescending and intolerant. It would be more literally phrased as "your opinion stinks because I don't agree with it." There.
PS I'm not changing my stance on this. You guys can't make me!
PPS I don't like tropeless tales and never will. Deal. With. IT!
March 27, 2023
The five stars are to make sure this scientific gem from the early 1900’s, a print-form random number generator, doesn’t fall into obscurity. The true glory are the other reviews, though.
I love you, science nerds. Every last one.
I love you, science nerds. Every last one.
September 29, 2009
Nominally useful though I prefer a generator to give me a more specific range.
February 5, 2011
Certamente la pi
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