If you're stuck in a time loop...?

If you use it the very exact time everyday in a time loop then I believe it would be the same number.

This depends heavily on what type of "random number generator" we're talking about.

Most random number generators in computers are actually pseudo-random number generators. For example you can install a data pack in Microsoft Excel to get it to produce random numbers for you.

However these random number generators are not completely random.

They work by a "seed" input.

Now by putting in a specific seed you get out a specific random number (which is not in fact random).

Basically you can fix your random number generators to always give the SAME random number. You do this by fixing the seed.

Anyhow when Microsoft Excel goes to generate a random number, your computer selects a seed to use. The way it selects the seed isn't random, it's preprogrammed in the computer in a set order. What this means is if you were to have two identical computers (and I mean EXACTLY identical, all the information needs to be the same). They would both pick the same seed, and give you the same number.

Which, as you can see, is not in fact a random number.

Hence the name, Pseudo-random number generator.

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So back to your time loop.

You're in a time loop and you get Microsoft Excel to generate you 10 random numbers.

You get: 3, 4, 2, 7, 2, 3, 2, 1, 7, 9

Now we restart the day.

You get Microsoft Excel to generate you 10 random numbers.

You get: 3, 4, 2, 7, 2, 3, 2, 1, 7, 9

You get the same set of random numbers because Microsoft Excel used the same seeds to get you those numbers. The process by which Microsoft Excel chooses the seeds isn't random, it follows an algorithm. Therefore if we restart time, the algorithm resets.

It's interesting but I think if you take a large enough sample of random numbers (but it's REALLY huge) from a pseudo-random number generator you'll notice the random numbers start to "repeat" because they aren't actually random numbers.

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Now then, there's another possible random number generator.

Rolling a dice.

By rolling a dice you get a random number one through six, with a probability of ~16.6% for any random number.

You roll a dice and get the numbers:

4, 5, 2, 3, 1.

The next day, time has restarted itself, you roll the dice again and get:

3, 2, 1, 2, 3.

Do you know why you got different numbers?

Because the "input" causing the dice to give you numbers is YOU. Yeah even if the day restarts, you haven't restarted with the day so it's different.

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But there's a catch!

Let's say: WITHOUT INTERACTING with the person you watch someone on a TV roll a dice and get random numbers.

They get:

2, 3, 4, 5, 1.

The next day, after time has restarted, you watch them again and they get:

2, 3, 4, 5, 1.

They got the same numbers because THEY'VE restarted with the day. So they do everything exactly the same, causing the dice to repeat themselves. The dice are effected by how they're thrown. If you throw the dice in the same way you'll get the same numbers.

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There's one final catch.

Quantum Mechanics. Quantum is really weird...

This is something I've actually wondered about.

When you observe a particle it's actually randomly placed, based on its wave function, in a region.

The question is: is Quantum REALLY random?

Or is there some kind of "seed" to it. A seed, that if you went back in time, would give you the same location for the particle?

I don't know.

There's not an answer to it currently.

If you are stuck in the loop then the entire universe about you is also stuck in the same loop - the same little section of entropy reels & unreels over and over.

You get the same slice of randomness but from the perspective of an observer outside of your (universe/loop) it would appear they you are within a perfectly predictable timeframe. Your random number would come up time after time.

Wish it worked on lottery tickets only!