Bug (kind-of) in randn()

Version 1.0.0.0 (1.13 KB) by Arvind
The first number generated by randn() after a seed-reset is always positive!
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Updated 21 Nov 2008

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This is a very strange bug in randn(). After every seed-reset, the first call to randn() almost invarably produces a postive number. Most of the time this is a benign defect, but sometimes folks seek to make a random sequence of 1s and 0s using randn>0. If you tried to do this, and reset the seed between every call to randn, then you will get a long sequence of ones. Not random!

Cite As

Arvind (2024). Bug (kind-of) in randn() (https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/22208-bug-kind-of-in-randn), MATLAB Central File Exchange. Retrieved .

MATLAB Release Compatibility
Created with R2007a
Compatible with any release
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Version Published Release Notes
1.0.0.0