Randomness

Randomness is the unpredictability of outcomes or events, often modeled through chance processes whose results cannot be specified in advance.

Probability: A mathematical framework for quantifying uncertainty and the likelihood of outcomes. It assigns numerical likelihoods to outcomes in chance processes.
Random number generator: A method or device that produces sequences intended to behave as random numbers. It supplies the outcomes used in simulations, games, and statistical procedures.
Determinism: The view that the state of a system and its laws fix its future states. A deterministic system can appear unpredictable without having random outcomes.
Monte Carlo method: A computational method that uses random sampling to estimate quantities or solve problems. Repeated random trials approximate answers that may be difficult to calculate directly.
Genetic drift: Random changes in allele frequencies across generations, especially in small populations. Chance differences in reproduction can alter populations without natural selection.
Sample space: The set of all possible outcomes of a random experiment. It makes explicit which outcomes a random process can produce.
Pseudorandom number generator: A deterministic algorithm that produces sequences with statistical properties resembling random sequences. It creates useful random-looking sequences from an initial seed.
Chaos theory: The study of deterministic systems whose behavior is highly sensitive to initial conditions. Chaotic dynamics produce practical unpredictability without requiring randomness.
Randomized algorithm: An algorithm that uses random choices during computation. Random choices can make algorithms faster or simpler than deterministic alternatives.
Random mutation: A mutation whose occurrence is not directed by an organism's need for a particular adaptation. Random genetic variation supplies material on which natural selection can act.

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