5 ms·

> There is no way to prove that a supposedly random source of information is not effectively a PRNG. Maybe no practical way. But a finite state PRNG will be pe

by lixtra 7y ago

> There is no way to prove that a supposedly random source of information is not effectively a PRNG. Maybe no practical way. But a finite state PRNG will be periodic while a true RNG won’t. And the length of the non observed period gives you an estimate of the minimal size of state.

pixl97 7y ago
It can be periodic but unbounded.
danbmil99 7y ago
What would be the period of a 4096 bit pseudo-random number generator iterating at a time scale commensurate with the plank length? I haven't done the math, but the answer is, a long, long, long time.