Hi I am working on a monty hall generator and in part of my code I need it to generate random number 2 or 3. It cannot be 1,2,3 but the computer needs to select between 2 or 3.
Thanks!
I have tried randomCarDoor = ( rand() % 3 ) + 1; but does not work.
randomCarDoor = ( rand() % 3 ) + 1;
It gives me the number 1,2,3 but I just want 2 and 3
You can use the low order bit of the random value, but it is very risky as some pseudo-random number generators do not provide adequate dispersion on low order bits:
int two_or_three = 2 + rand() % 2;
A much better way is to use the magnitude of the random number which is specified as having a flat distribution:
int two_or_three = 2 + (rand() >= RAND_MAX / 2);
If you want numbers 1 and 3, here is a simple solution for any pair:
int random_value = (rand() < RAND_MAX / 2) ? 1 : 3;
As #Kerrek SB suggest, your formula is: random() % 2 + 2:
random() % 2 ==> Gets [0 or 1]
[0 or 1] + 2 ==> Gets [2 or 3]
A functional code is:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <math.h>
int main()
{
// Declare variables
int i;
int randomNumber;
// Set random seed
srand(time(NULL));
// Get 10 random numbers between 2 and 3
for (i = 0; i < 10; ++i){
randomNumber = rand() % 2 + 2;
printf("Random %d: %d\n", i, randomNumber);
}
// End function
return 0;
}
This is not trivial using rand() since a linear congruential generator typically alternates between odd and even numbers.
So one of the worst things you can do it to use a formula based on rand() % 2.
In this particular case, I suggest you draw based on
n = rand();
and call it 1 if n < RAND_MAX / 2 and 3 otherwise, which you can do with
rand() < RAND_MAX / 2 ? 1 : 3
That might have adequate statistical properties - perhaps some unwanted autocorrelation - but probably no worse than rand() itself.
I am making a library management in C for practice. Now, in studentEntry I need to generate a long int studentID in which every digit is non-zero. So, I am using this function:
long int generateStudentID(){
srand(time(NULL));
long int n = 0;
do
{
n = rand() % 10;
}while(n == 0);
int i;
for(i = 1; i < 10; i++)
{
n *= 10;
n += rand() % 10;
}
if(n < 0)
n = n * (-1); //StudentID will be positive
return n;
}
output
Name : khushit
phone No. : 987546321
active : 1
login : 0
StudentID : 2038393052
Wanted to add another student?(y/n)
I wanted to remove all zeros from it. Moreover, when I run the program the first time the random number will be the same as above, and second time random number is same as past runs like e.g:-
program run 1
StudentID : 2038393052
StudentID : 3436731238
program run 2
StudentID : 2038393052
StudentID : 3436731238
What do I need to fix these problems?
You can either do as gchen suggested and run a small loop that continues until the result is not zero (just like you did for the first digit) or accept a small bias and use rand() % 9 + 1.
The problem with the similar sequences has its reason with the coarse resolution of time(). If you run the second call of the function to fast after the first you get the same seed. You might read this description as proposed by user3386109 in the comments.
A nine-digit student ID with no zeros in the number can be generated by:
long generateStudentID(void)
{
long n = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < 9; i++)
n = n * 10 + (rand() % 9) + 1;
return n;
}
This generates a random digit between 1 and 9 by generating a digit between 0 and 8 with (rand() % 9) and adding 1. There's no need to for loops to avoid zeros.
Note that this does not call srand() — you should only call srand() once in a given program (under normal circumstances). Since a long must be at least 32 bits and a 9-digit number only requires 30 bits, there cannot be overflow to worry about.
It's possible to argue that the result is slightly biassed in favour of smaller digits. You could use a function call to eliminate that bias:
int unbiassed_random_int(int max)
{
int limit = RAND_MAX - RAND_MAX % max;
int value;
while ((value = rand()) >= limit)
;
return value % max;
}
If RAND_MAX is 32767 and max is 9, RAND_MAX % 9 is 7. If you don't ignore the values from 32760 upwards, you are more likely to get a digit in the range 0..7 than you are to get an 8 — there are 3642 ways to each of 0..7 and only 3641 ways to get 8. The difference is not large; it is smaller if RAND_MAX is bigger. For the purposes on hand, such refinement is not necessary.
Slightly modify the order of your original function should perform the trick. Instead of removing 0s, just do not add 0s.
long int generateStudentID(){
srand(time(NULL));
long int n = 0;
for(int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
{
long int m = 0;
do
{
m = rand() % 10;
}while(m == 0);
n *= 10;
n += m;
}
//Not needed as n won't be negative
//if(n < 0)
//n = n * (-1); //StudentID will be positive
return n;
}
Recently I saw link on this site
Sweeping through a 2d arrays using pointers with boundary conditions
Here, in "answers", is a code of boundary conditions in Ising Model.
This code generate a matrix with all spins up:
for (i=0; i<Lattice_Size; i++) {
for (j=0; j<Lattice_Size; j++) {
*ptr++ = spin_up; // initializing to parallel spins,
// where spin_up is an integer number
// taking value = +1.
}
}
My question is: How one can set up a random configuration (matrix) with random distribution of spin_up / spin_down spins?
I thought it might be done with the help of function random(...), but I figured out that I don't understand well how it works :(
You could use the function rand modulo 2:
srand(time(NULL)) ; // Initialize the rand see
for (i=0; i < Lattice_Size; i++) {
for (j=0; j < Lattice_Size; j++) {
*ptr++ = 1 - 2 * (rand() % 2); // Return either 1 or - 1
}
}
Don't forget to include time.h and stdlib.h.
rand() returns a number in the range between 0 and RAND_MAX
rand() % 2 returns either 0 or 1
2 * (rand() % 2) returns either 0 or 2
1 - 2 * (rand() % 2) returns -1 or 1.
If you are not familiar with it, % is the modulo operator.
I want to generate 2 random numbers between 0 and 20
int one = rand() % 20;
it gives me 1 steady value i.e 1...
Am I missing something?
You have to give a seed to the random number.
srand( time(NULL) );
int num1 = rand() % count;
int num2 = rand() % count;
Random number between 1 and 20
int num = rand() % 20 ;
if( num == 0 )
num += 2;
else if( num == 1 )
++num ;
This would happen if count is one.
If count is non-one, your code works perfectly.
However, as mentioned, you need to set a non-deterministic seed by calling srand.
To generate a random number in a specified range [min,max], do something like:
min + (int)((double) rand() / RAND_MAX * (max - min + 1));
The method
min + rand() % (max - min + 1);
may be faster, but it may not give you a normal distribution of values depending on the RNG.
And as others have mentioned, if you want a different sequence for each run, execute srand once at the beginning of the program.
I have had to start to learning C as part of a project that I am doing. I have started doing the 'euler' problems in it and am having trouble with the first one. I have to find the sum of all multiples of 3 or 5 below 1000. Could someone please help me. Thanks.
#include<stdio.h>
int start;
int sum;
int main() {
while (start < 1001) {
if (start % 3 == 0) {
sum = sum + start;
start += 1;
} else {
start += 1;
}
if (start % 5 == 0) {
sum = sum + start;
start += 1;
} else {
start += 1;
}
printf("%d\n", sum);
}
return(0);
}
You've gotten some great answers so far, mainly suggesting something like:
#include <stdio.h>
int main(int argc, char * argv[])
{
int i;
int soln = 0;
for (i = 1; i < 1000; i++)
{
if ((i % 3 == 0) || (i % 5 == 0))
{
soln += i;
}
}
printf("%d\n", soln);
return 0;
}
So I'm going to take a different tack. I know you're doing this to learn C, so this may be a bit of a tangent.
Really, you're making the computer work too hard for this :). If we figured some things out ahead of time, it could make the task easier.
Well, how many multiples of 3 are less than 1000? There's one for each time that 3 goes into 1000 - 1.
mult3 = ⌊ (1000 - 1) / 3 ⌋ = 333
(the ⌊ and ⌋ mean that this is floor division, or, in programming terms, integer division, where the remainder is dropped).
And how many multiples of 5 are less than 1000?
mult5 = ⌊ (1000 - 1) / 5 ⌋ = 199
Now what is the sum of all the multiples of 3 less than 1000?
sum3 = 3 + 6 + 9 + ... + 996 + 999 = 3×(1 + 2 + 3 + ... + 332 + 333) = 3×∑i=1 to mult3 i
And the sum of all the multiples of 5 less than 1000?
sum5 = 5 + 10 + 15 + ... + 990 + 995 = 5×(1 + 2 + 3 + ... + 198 + 199) = 5×∑i = 1 to mult5 i
Some multiples of 3 are also multiples of 5. Those are the multiples of 15.
Since those count towards mult3 and mult5 (and therefore sum3 and sum5) we need to know mult15 and sum15 to avoid counting them twice.
mult15 = ⌊ (1000 - 1) /15 ⌋ = 66
sum15 = 15 + 30 + 45 + ... + 975 + 990 = 15×(1 + 2 + 3 + ... + 65 + 66) = 15×∑i = 1 to mult15 i
So the solution to the problem "find the sum of all the multiples of 3 or 5 below 1000" is then
soln = sum3 + sum5 - sum15
So, if we wanted to, we could implement this directly:
#include <stdio.h>
int main(int argc, char * argv[])
{
int i;
int const mult3 = (1000 - 1) / 3;
int const mult5 = (1000 - 1) / 5;
int const mult15 = (1000 - 1) / 15;
int sum3 = 0;
int sum5 = 0;
int sum15 = 0;
int soln;
for (i = 1; i <= mult3; i++) { sum3 += 3*i; }
for (i = 1; i <= mult5; i++) { sum5 += 5*i; }
for (i = 1; i <= mult15; i++) { sum15 += 15*i; }
soln = sum3 + sum5 - sum15;
printf("%d\n", soln);
return 0;
}
But we can do better. For calculating individual sums, we have Gauss's identity which says the sum from 1 to n (aka ∑i = 1 to n i) is n×(n+1)/2, so:
sum3 = 3×mult3×(mult3+1) / 2
sum5 = 5×mult5×(mult5+1) / 2
sum15 = 15×mult15×(mult15+1) / 2
(Note that we can use normal division or integer division here - it doesn't matter since one of n or n+1 must be divisible by 2)
Now this is kind of neat, since it means we can find the solution without using a loop:
#include <stdio.h>
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
int const mult3 = (1000 - 1) / 3;
int const mult5 = (1000 - 1) / 5;
int const mult15 = (1000 - 1) / 15;
int const sum3 = (3 * mult3 * (mult3 + 1)) / 2;
int const sum5 = (5 * mult5 * (mult5 + 1)) / 2;
int const sum15 = (15 * mult15 * (mult15 + 1)) / 2;
int const soln = sum3 + sum5 - sum15;
printf("%d\n", soln);
return 0;
}
Of course, since we've gone this far we could crank out the entire thing by hand:
sum3 = 3×333×(333+1) / 2 = 999×334 / 2 = 999×117 = 117000 - 117 = 116883
sum5 = 5×199×(199+1) / 2 = 995×200 / 2 = 995×100 = 99500
sum15 = 15×66×(66+1) / 2 = 990×67 / 2 = 495 × 67 = 33165
soln = 116883 + 99500 - 33165 = 233168
And write a much simpler program:
#include <stdio.h>
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
printf("233168\n");
return 0;
}
You could change your ifs:
if ((start % 3 == 0) || (start % 5 == 0))
sum += start;
start ++;
and don´t forget to initialize your sum with zero and start with one.
Also, change the while condition to < 1000.
You would be much better served by a for loop, and combining your conditionals.
Not tested:
int main()
{
int x;
int sum = 0;
for (x = 1; x <= 1000; x++)
if (x % 3 == 0 || x % 5 == 0)
sum += x;
printf("%d\n", sum);
return 0;
}
The answers are all good, but won't help you learn C.
What you really need to understand is how to find your own errors. A debugger could help you, and the most powerful debugger in C is called "printf". You want to know what your program is doing, and your program is not a "black box".
Your program already prints the sum, it's probably wrong, and you want to know why. For example:
printf("sum:%d start:%d\n", sum, start);
instead of
printf("%d\n", sum);
and save it into a text file, then try to understand what's going wrong.
does the count start with 1 and end with 999?
does it really go from 1 to 999 without skipping numbers?
does it work on a smaller range?
Eh right, well i can see roughly where you are going, I'm thinking the only thing wrong with it has been previously mentioned. I did this problem before on there, obviously you need to step through every multiple of 3 and 5 and sum them. I did it this way and it does work:
int accumulator = 0;
int i;
for (i = 0; i < 1000; i += 3)
accumulator += i;
for (i = 0; i < 1000; i +=5) {
if (!(i%3==0)) {
accumulator += i;
}
}
printf("%d", accumulator);
EDIT: Also note its not 0 to 1000 inclusive, < 1000 stops at 999 since it is the last number below 1000, you have countered that by < 1001 which means you go all the way to 1000 which is a multiple of 5 meaning your answer will be 1000 higher than it should be.
You haven't said what the program is supposed to do, or what your problem is. That makes it hard to offer help.
At a guess, you really ought to initialize start and sum to zero, and perhaps the printf should be outside the loop.
Really you need a debugger, and to single-step through the code so that you can see what it's actually doing. Your basic problem is that the flow of control isn't going where you think it is, and rather than provide correct code as others have done, I'll try to explain what your code does. Here's what happens, step-by-step (I've numbered the lines):
1: while (start < 1001) {
2: if (start % 3 == 0) {
3: sum = sum + start;
4: start += 1;
5: }
6: else {
7: start += 1;
8: }
9:
10: if (start % 5 == 0) {
11: sum = sum + start;
12: start += 1;
13: }
14: else {
15: start += 1;
16: }
17: printf("%d\n", sum);
18: }
line 1. sum is 0, start is 0. Loop condition true.
line 2. sum is 0, start is 0. If condition true.
line 3. sum is 0, start is 0. sum <- 0.
line 4. sum is 0, start is 0. start <- 1.
line 5. sum is 0, start is 1. jump over "else" clause
line 10. sum is 0, start is 1. If condition false, jump into "else" clause.
line 15. sum is 0, start is 1. start <- 2.
line 16 (skipped)
line 17. sum is 0, start is 2. Print "0\n".
line 18. sum is 0, start is 2. Jump to the top of the loop.
line 1. sum is 0, start is 2. Loop condition true.
line 2. sum is 0, start is 2. If condtion false, jump into "else" clause.
line 7. sum is 0, start is 2. start <- 3.
line 10. sum is 0, start is 3. If condition false, jump into "else" clause.
line 15. sum is 0, start is 3. start <- 4.
line 17. sum is 0, start is 4. Print "0\n".
You see how this is going? You seem to think that at line 4, after doing sum += 1, control goes back to the top of the loop. It doesn't, it goes to the next thing after the "if/else" construct.
You have forgotten to initialize your variables,
The problem with your code is that your incrementing the 'start' variable twice. This is due to having two if..else statements. What you need is an if..else if..else statement as so:
if (start % 3 == 0) {
sum = sum + start;
start += 1;
}
else if (start % 5 == 0) {
sum = sum + start;
start += 1;
}
else {
start += 1;
}
Or you could be more concise and write it as follows:
if(start % 3 == 0)
sum += start;
else if(start % 5 == 0)
sum += start;
start++;
Either of those two ways should work for you.
Good luck!
Here's a general solution which works with an arbitrary number of factors:
#include <stdio.h>
#define sum_multiples(BOUND, ...) \
_sum_multiples(BOUND, (unsigned []){ __VA_ARGS__, 0 })
static inline unsigned sum_single(unsigned bound, unsigned base)
{
unsigned n = bound / base;
return base * (n * (n + 1)) / 2;
}
unsigned _sum_multiples(unsigned bound, unsigned bases[])
{
unsigned sum = 0;
for(unsigned i = 0; bases[i]; ++i)
{
sum += sum_single(bound, bases[i]);
for(unsigned j = i + 1; bases[j]; ++j)
sum -= sum_single(bound, bases[i] * bases[j]);
}
return sum;
}
int main(void)
{
printf("%u\n", sum_multiples(999, 3, 5));
return 0;
}