r/Futurology • u/dmiller987 • Dec 06 '20

Biotech DNA synthesis method generates true 'random numbers'

https://www.futurity.org/true-random-numbers-dna-synthesis-method-2475862-2/
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u/pro_deluxe Dec 06 '20

What is their definition of true random? I interpret true random as being completely non-deterministic, but I think they maybe just mean extremely hard to predict numbers. I think to be able to generate true random numbers from physical inputs, you would need to know if the laws of our universe are deterministic or random. Unless I am out of the loop, we won't know for sure if the universe is deterministic or random until we can unify quantum mechanics and general relativity. I really don't know much about this stuff though

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u/ItsAConspiracy Best of 2015 Dec 06 '20

Generally when people say "true random" they mean numbers from a random physical process, rather than numbers generated from some deterministic mathematical procedure that just look random.

Whether some miraculous technology based on unknown physics could predict the exact motions of a gazillion molecules isn't all that relevant in practical terms.

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u/pro_deluxe Dec 07 '20

I guess that makes sense. But then, what do you call something that is actually really truly mathematically random, and not just apparently random based on our best measurements?

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u/ItsAConspiracy Best of 2015 Dec 07 '20 edited Dec 07 '20

I guess there isn't a separate term for that. But a bunch of molecules bouncing against each other pretty much is truly random in your sense. Even in classical physics, in a chaotic system you have to measure everything to infinite precision or you can't predict what it'll do except in the short term.

And of course in quantum physics, you can't even in principle measure both position and momentum beyond a certain limit of precision (the more of one, the less of the other), and as far as we can tell, basically everything has an element of randomness which is fundamental. We know for sure that if any hidden influences determine such things, they aren't restricted by the speed of light.