Random Numbers

Computers follow instructions and will only do what you tell them to do. They will do the same thing every time you ‘run’ the program. This is a good thing.

However, there are times when you do want your program to do something surprising, for example:

modelling rolling dice
picking a name out of a group of students
shuffling a playlist
making computer games less predictable

To create random events we need to generate a random number.

We use a purple maths block to pick the random number.

Example

The code below mimics a die (a single dice).

A variable has been created called die. When the micro:bit is shaken, the computer picks a random number between 1 and 6. This number is then assigned (put into) the variable 'die'.

The next block shows the number in the variable 'die' on the LEDs.

Shake the micro:bit to roll the die

Making Random Numbers

Watch the video below to see how to make random number and assign it to a variable.

microbit random.mp4

Challenges

2 Dice Simple

Create a program that:

When you shake the micro:bit shows a random number between 2 and 12

2 Dice Advanced

Create a program that:

Has 3 variables:
- Die1
- Die2
- Total
When you press the A button:
- Assigns a random number between 1 and 6 to the variable Die1
- Shows the value stored in Die 1 on the screen.
When you press the B button:
- Assigns a random number between 1 and 6 to the variable Die2
- Shows the value stored in Die2 on the screen.
When you press A and B together:
- Adds the values stored in Die1 and Die2 together. The result is assigned to the variable Total.
- Shows the value stored in the variable Total on the screen.

Key Words

Random

Without order. Numbers are picked within a range as if by chance.

Assigning

Putting a piece of data into a variable

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