These pseudo-random numbers suffice for low stakes uses like gaming, but for scientific simulations or cybersecurity, truly random numbers are important. In recent years scientists have turned to the ...

If it hadn’t been for a shortfall in the supply of random numbers, one of history’s most infamous spy rings might never have been exposed. The shortage occurred in late 1941, two years after the start ...

In September 2013, whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that American and British intelligence agencies had successfully cracked much of the online encryption internet users used to keep their ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about physics, science, academia, and pop culture. As someone whose primary claim to fame is writing physics books ...

Random numbers are used in several important technologies including cryptography and numerical simulation. However, large sequences of truly random numbers are notoriously difficult to generate – and ...

Most of us are familiar with the concept of a random walk — a classic example is provided by a pollen particle suspended in water. But what if we replace the pollen with a quantum system, to produce a ...