From: "E. ALLEN SMITH" <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 08:37:35 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Chaotic physical systems as random number sources
Message-ID: <01I1FUPJ56PQAKTJEQ@mbcl.rutgers.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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	I'm curious if anyone knows of any attempts to use a chaotic physical
system (such as the famous double pendulum) as a source of random numbers. I
did an Alta Vista check on the problem, and all I turned up was a paper (in
postscript, so I couldn't read it) on all mathematical pseudorandom number
generators being logical chaotic systems. (It's at
http://csl.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~herring/publications/rand.ps).
	One problem that I can see is that of strange attractors. While the
path through each time would be different, they're still _close_ to each other,
and a practical mechanical system might not be sensitive enough to pick up the
differences.
	Thanks,
	-Allen