Talk:Randomized algorithm

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Merger proposal

Needs to be merged with randomized algorithms. Fredrik 09:33, 10 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Possible minor mistake in the Miller-Rabin primality test ?

Shouldn't the probability in the article: (3/4)¹⁰⁰ be (1/4)¹⁰⁰, according to the 3 propositions of the Miller-Rabin test, since the probability of not picking a witness each iteration is 1/4?

Yes, it should have been (1/4)¹⁰⁰. Corrected now. Andris 15:29, Jun 28, 2004 (UTC)

Nonterminating "algorithm"?

I am told by my theoretical Computer Science teacher that an algorithm is not an algorithm if it doesn't end (please see the wikipedia page about Algorithm: "given an initial state, will terminate in a corresponding recognizable end-state". So the side-note "(possibly nonterminating) algorithm" doesn't make sense. But I don't know enough about this to make an edit.

No, algorithms that do not terminate are still algorithms.

There's two possible definitions of the term 'probabilistic algorithm'. See my addition to the intro section and cited books. Qwertyus (talk) 00:50, 28 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

pseudorandom number generator?

In the first paragraph, the sentence: this means that the machine implementing the algorithm has access to a pseudorandom number generator. - does it really matter if the random number generator is pseodorandom? Would an algorithm which used a Hardware random number generator, not be classed as a randomized algorithm? If so, then this line should be changed to ' a source of random numbers'...

The statement was oddly placed and unclear; it said "in common practice" and is describing how they're typically implemented, as opposed to defining "randomized algorithm." In fact, a program based on a PRNG isn't a randomized algorithm at all but a deterministic approximation of one, so this was quite misleading. Dcoetzee 04:30, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]