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The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

How random is your randomness, and why does it matter?

  • Written by David Zuckerman, Professor of Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin
imageWhat if the person flipping the coin cheats?Coin and hand via shutterstock.com

Randomness is powerful. Think about a presidential poll: A random sample of just 400 people in the United States can accurately estimate Clinton’s and Trump’s support to within 5 percent (with 95 percent certainty), despite the U.S. population exceeding 300...

Read more: How random is your randomness, and why does it matter?

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