Each such value starts a chain of mathematical operations that produces a different string of apparently random digits. In one application, lavarand serves as the random number generator driving a system for creating haiku. It also provides lottery numbers. Peterson, I. 1998. Lava lamp randomness.
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He is the author of The Mathematical Tourist , Islands of Truth , Newton's Clock , Fatal Defect , and The Jungles of Randomness . A Mathematical Space Odyssey by Ivars Peterson and Nancy Henderson. For children ages 10 and up. All rights reserved. Subscribe to Science News .