True Random Number Generator

[kelechi96]

Ok so I want to create some code which can generate a random number from a
1. Music file
2. A microphone

PLEASE is their anyway i can do this

[tux4life]

You'll have to use the rand function, look here for some information about it ...

Edit:: A remark on the title of this thread: A computer will never be able to generate real random numbers :)

[Ancient Dragon]

I never knew music files could generate random numbers :icon_eek:

[tux4life]

> I never knew music files could generate random numbers :icon_eek:

> Lol :P, I thought he wanted to generate a random number for the filename of a music file ...

> Anyways: kelechi, could you please reformulate your question in a way we can understand it ?

[nucleon]

When Knuth talks about random numbers he mentions a CD of random numbers called "Black and White Noise" which is a mixture of deterministically sampled rap music combined with white noise.

[kelechi96]

What i mean is to take sound from my microphone and turn it into a number

[siddhant3s]

Well, you may record the sound to a file. Then use some hashing algorithm ( like md5sum) to calculate the hash number of that file.
Each different type of sound will give you different files. And if two files are different, their md5sum hash will of course be different.

[ArkM]

Ok so I want to create some code which can generate a random number from a 1. Music file 2. A microphone PLEASE is their anyway i can do this

It's possible but you need non-trivial theory and lots of experiments. As usually results of these works were a very protected (sometimes patented or/and top secret) know-how(s)...
It's the other story why...
The key point is: what's (and why) a distribution of your home-made generated sequence? If you don't know the answer then it's not atrue random number generator...

[VernonDozier]

What i mean is to take sound from my microphone and turn it into a number

A number based on what? Frequency? Decibels? Much more detail is needed.

[kelechi96]

Frequency based please thanks for all you awnsers so far heres an idea if i retrive sounds from the microphone and then return that value as my number how do i do this

[kelechi96]

does anyone know how i could do this

[Ancient Dragon]

>>does anyone know how i could do this
No, not I. But you could try this .

[jephthah]

And if two files are different, their md5sum hash will of course be different.

not true. MD5 is broken.

in 2004, Wang et. al. demonstrated that forced MD5 collisions could be generated; in December 2008 the Chaos Communication Group forged an SSL certificate using forced MD5 collisions, in March 2009, Kilma published an algorithm that will force an MD5 collision using a single computer in less than one minute.

[siddhant3s]

>>not true. MD5 is broken.
This is true that MD5 has been broken. I heard this news long before.
I said he could use some hashing algorithm, not necessarily MD5. But the point in giving example as MD5 was that it is very famous.

[tux4life]

> MD5 has been broken
>> OK, but it's just really difficult how to do it, a normal PC-user will never manage to break this algorithm, so if your MD5 is just used as a checksum it doesn't really matter whether it can be broken or not :) ...

[jephthah]

>>not true. MD5 is broken.

This is true that MD5 has been broken. I heard this news long before.

I'm happy to hear you are so well-informed.

so now there's no reason for you to continue promoting MD5 as an algorithm that produces unique hash values, yes?OK, but it's just really difficult how to do it, a normal PC-user will never manage to break this algorithm
what a terribly fatal assumption! are you telling me a skript kiddie can't read a published algorithm and implement it on a $200 laptop?

"security through obscurity" is no security at all.

.

[tux4life]

so now there's no reason for you to continue promoting MD5 as an algorithm that produces unique hash values, yes?

And what about SHA1 ?

[siddhant3s]

Yes. and No
Yes because it is really broken.
No because it is practically not broken.
I agree with Tux in this regard.
Comparing to the simplicity, the hashing solution will be more practical.
Else, do you have any good solution jephthah?

[tux4life]

what a terribly fatal assumption! are you telling me a skript kiddie can't read a published algorithm and implement it on a $200 laptop? "security through obscurity" is no security at all. .

> If the hash is just used as a checksum I don't know anybody who would like to put his time and effort in this to (try to) break it :) ...

[ArkM]

The OP problem was not specified. I want true random numbers - what did OP mean by that? There are lots of possible answers. May be SHA1 digest of anything is a good solution (of undefined problem;)), it's a question ...