Suppose you have a function (or a magic ball) that is capable of producing a totally random integer between 1 and 5 (inclusive).

Using this, how would you generate a random number (also an integer) between 1 and 7 (inclusive)? (Note that the for the number to be random, all integers between 1 and 7 must have an equal chance of being generated)

Assume that using your 1-5 generator is pretty time-consuming, so you want to minimize the number of times you are going to use it.

run the random function 7 times, for say variables a to g.

sum = a + b + c + d + e + f + g

random7 = (sum mod 7) + 1

Posted by derek on 2003-06-30 07:52:56