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# Exercise: Being Random
- URL: https://www.workroom-productions.com/being-random/
- Published: 2025-08-19T20:32:11.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-21T13:46:52.000Z
- Description: Patterns emerge. Being random is hard.
- Author: James Lyndsay
- Tags: Exercises

*Used in* [*Workroom PlayTime 027*](https://www.workroom-productions.com/workroom-playtime-027/)

Randomness is hard to assess. While testing, we commonly need random data – sometimes to be meaningless, sometimes to be more 'real', sometimes to avoid disrupting behaviour with unintended patterns. 

This exercise lets us explore different ways that patterns can be present and absent in a string of text.

#### More to read and play with

See [Randomness Test](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randomness%5Ftest) for information on how to check for randomness, and play with <https://mzsoltmolnar.github.io/random-bitstream-tester/> (in the exercise below)

Machine-made randomness and human-made randomness are different. Humans can make meaningful strings that algorithms judge to be random, while human attempts at randomness often fail algorithmic assessments. Algorithms can make endless random output, but that randomness may be constrained to work only within the bounds of the algorithm. See [Moravec's paradox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravec%27s%5Fparadox) for more on tasks that algorithms find hard but people find easy

Play with the [ARC-AGI daily puzzle](https://arcprize.org/play) for direct experience with something that is designed for people to manage but which AIs find tricky.

The exercise involves assessing and producing random text. 

## Examples / questions

How is `abbabbbbababbababbbbabababaaababababbabba` random?

Compare with `` or ``

how about ``?

how about `ropemediumfillsadtrout`? Or `азсекасбамджеймс`?

Let's talk about these examples, and reflect on what we understand by random.

## Exercise

Use <https://mzsoltmolnar.github.io/random-bitstream-tester/> . get rid of the video overlay, chose "manual ... input" and start hammering 1s and 0s. Hit "start now" to test.

Try to type in a random string of 1s and 0s

😥

**My software for the exercise is not ready for primetime.* 

## Reflect

What insights can you share?

You've used randomness in testing – did it matter, to the tests, whether 'random' was random? How did you check?

---

?*\[placeholder for now – needs instructions, text input, submission mechanism, analysis\]*

\--

JL Notes: We need random data *to data that is effectively meaningless to act as a control (i.e. text field content), distributed evenly but not regularly across a range (, or distributed around some value (as contrasted to being bang on)* 

*JL Notes: We test for randomness with*

JL notes: we generate randomness with (entropy, algorithms, keyboard bashing). We need to be aware of distribution, of sample size, of 

Type a random string in the box below. Hit `assess` to see an algorithmic assessment of how random it is.

Input Text: Assess 

Analysis Results: 

Results will appear here...

### Exercise 1

Try to make a string that seems random to the assessor

### Exercise 2

Try to make a string that seems random to the assessor, but is clearly not random. You're welcome to explain the trick that makes it deterministic to you.

### Exercise 3

What randomnesses, and what patterns, is the assessor looking for? Explore to discover, share your findings and examples.

## Reflect