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Constantly Divisionless Random Numbers

Constantly Divisionless Random Numbers

8 comments

·March 5, 2025
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aqrit

Why not use regular rejection sampling when `limit` is known at compile-time. Does fastrange[1] have fewer rejections due to any excess random bits[2]?

[1] https://github.com/lemire/fastrange

[2] https://github.com/swiftlang/swift/pull/39143

fanf2

What do you mean by “regular” rejection sampling?

Fastrange is slightly biased because, as Steve Canon observes in that Swift PR, it is just Knuth’s multiplicative reduction. The point of this post is that it’s possible to simplify Lemire’s nearly-divisionless debiasing when the limit is known at compile time.

I previously experimented with really-divisionless debiasing but I was underwhelmed with the results https://dotat.at/@/2022-04-20-really-divisionless.html

RicoElectrico

The code blocks break mobile viewport width. Surely it's better than wrapping, but the best solution is to use max-width and overflow-x: auto which makes them scrollable.

fanf2

I prefer zooming for reading code. Horizontal scrolling divs are horrible.

Etheryte

But then you still end up scrolling horizontally once you're zoomed in, no? What's the difference?

null

[deleted]

fanf2

I can zoom out.

rewqa

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