蜜芽传媒

Dice and roulette wheels produce random numbers: numbers which are unpredictable and display no pattern.

But true randomness is difficult to find. Digital computers are incapable of behaving in a truly random fashion - so instead mathematicians have taught them how to harness pseudorandomness - numbers which appear to be random but are not. This technique is used daily by weather forecasters, statisticians, and gambling companies - and it's thanks to pseudorandomness that secure credit card transactions are possible.

Fun fact: A handbook for gamblers started the general concept for mathematical probabilities in order to predict the fickle roll of the dice thanks to the talented gambler (amongst other professions and accomplishments) Gerolamo Cardano.

So, take a chance and listen to the 蜜芽传媒鈥檚 Melvyn Bragg discuss the numbers with Marcus du Sautoy, Colva Roney-Dougal and Timothy Gowers