Random Number Generator - Error

Hey guys. I know little about programming. I have made this code with some help, but there is still a problem with it. I am basically trying to create a random number generator that will calculate the average of 1000 numbers and then go on and produce the average of square of those numbers, the cube, etc, up to power of 15. In this case I think I am missing a bracket around the j loop, but I am not sure where. Can anyone see it? I have to learn to really see the code through as well. Thank you.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <time.h>

int main (int argc, char *argv[])
{

  unsigned int iseed = (unsigned int)time(NULL);
  srand (iseed);
  int i,average; //defines i and average as integers
  int j;
  double x, y;
  double ran;
  double sum [15];
  for (i=0; i<15; i++)
     sum [i]=0;
  for (j=0; j<1000; j++)


  {
    //printf ("%u\n", rand ());
    x=y=(rand() / (RAND_MAX + 1.0));
    for (i=0; i<15; i++)     //error here averages less than 1
    sum[i]+=y;
    y=y*x;

  }
printf("The Sum of Random Numbers : %d ", sum);
for (i=0; i<15; i++)
{
    average=sum[i]/j; //j values retained from the loop (1000); alternatively: sum[15]
    printf("The Average of Random Numbers : %d i=%d",average, i);
}

  return 0;
}

I don't understand the / RAND_MAX + 1

Why not rand() % LargestNumberYouWant + 1?

That's a separate issue, but it's because I don't know much about C. I use Code Blocks and used the help files to extract the format written there.

Code:

    for (i=0; i<15; i++)     //error here averages less than 1
    sum[i]+=y;
    y=y*x;

Since your indentation of subordinate code lines is missing, I can't tell for sure what you want here - but without braces around the y=y*x;, that line will execute just ONE time, instead of every time around the loop.

Hope you learn to indent - your eye WILL become trained to use it, quite naturally.

Originally Posted by Adak

I don't understand the / RAND_MAX + 1

Why not rand() % LargestNumberYouWant + 1?

Because a real number in the range (0, 1] is required, and what's posted is the most straightforward way to do this.

Yeah you want the line y=y*x; to be inside the loop otherwise it has no effect.

Could you be more specific about including y=y*x in the loop? I thought it is already in the loop.

1) You don' t need argc, argv (they are another "story" and have no use in this code).

2) it is very complicated as you wrote it(for me).

if you want take a look at this

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <math.h>
#define size 5 //My code is for 5 numbers but you can easily change it

int main (void){
	int i, r, n=0, j, temp=0;
	float sum=0;

		srand(time(NULL));
		for (i=1; i<=15; i++){
			for(j=0; j<size; j++){
				r = 0 + rand()%(size-0);
				printf("Rand: %d\n", r);
				//printf("i: %d\n", i);
				temp =pow(r,i); // i use for my first time pow() and there  is a problem with i...if anyone else knows please tell
				printf("temp: %d\n", temp);
				sum = sum+r;
				n++;
			}
		printf("Sum is: %f\n", sum);
		printf("Average: %f\n", sum/n);
		}
			
  return 0;
}

i hope this is closer to what you want...

Ok, let's see if this makes it clear:

I take 1000 random numbers between 0 and 1. I need two things from here:

1. Generate the sum of all these numbers.
2. Generate the AVERAGE of these numbers like this:

a. First do a regular average: add up all 1000 numbers together and then divide by 1000.
b. Now do the same, except SQUARE all the random numbers, add them up, and only then divide by 1000 to get the average.
c. Do the same ...... except do the cube this time.
...
...
...
continue like this until you hit the power of 15. So raise all of the random numbers to the power of 15 and then divide by 1000 again to get an average.

Please note that the average in all these cases is going to be less than one because you're adding numbers that are less than one and get progressively smaller as you increase the power to which they are raised. This means that the generated output for the average must ALWAYS be smaller than 1, and get progressively smaller for larger and larger powers raised.

Does this make sense?

And thanks a lot brack. I will try to see if your code corrected what I was hoping. Meanwhile, if you think my explanation above changes things, I'd appreciate your advice.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Adak

Code:

    for (i=0; i<15; i++)     //error here averages less than 1
    sum[i]+=y;
    y=y*x;

Since your indentation of subordinate code lines is missing, I can't tell for sure what you want here - but without braces around the y=y*x;, that line will execute just ONE time, instead of every time around the loop.

Explanation...

Code:

1)    for (i=0; i<15; i++){     //error here averages less than 1
2)    sum[i]+=y;
3)    y=y*x;
4)    }

without brances only the 2nd lne is inside the loop but as adam said you need both....
i think this is what adam said
// if i am wrong please correct me adam

Originally Posted by Excelisus

Ok, let's see if this makes it clear:

I take 1000 random numbers between 0 and 1. I need two things from here:

1. Generate the sum of all these numbers.
2. Generate the AVERAGE of these numbers like this:

a. First do a regular average: add up all 1000 numbers together and then divide by 1000.

this cover some questions...now the only thing that remains is to understand how pow() works...

Code:

#include <stdio.h>

#include <stdlib.h>

#include <time.h>



main(){

     int i;

     float x, sum=0, m;



               srand(time(NULL));

               for(i=0; i<1000; i++){

                    x = rand();
                    //printf("x: %f \n", x);

                    x = (x/RAND_MAX);

                    printf("x: %f \n", x);

                    sum+=x;

               }

               m=sum/1000;

               printf("Average: %f\n", m);


return 0;

}

I still haven't look at the code - I can't until I have access on my other computer when I can run the program + debugging mode. But basically the power portion is inherent in the loop itself. This is what x=x*y does.

Basically first you have x. Then when the loop runs once more, you get x^2 just by the nature of the loop and definition. Then when the loop runs again this time x=x^2. Now when the program does x=x*y, the value becomes x=x^2*x which is the same as x^3. The loop continues like this until it reaches the power of 15 - which is what i<15 takes care of.

So basically what you meant by your correction is this? I have to try this.

Code:

  {
    //printf ("%u\n", rand ());
    x=y=(rand() / (RAND_MAX + 1.0));

1)    for (i=0; i<15; i++){     //basically adding a bracket after this line
2)    sum[i]+=y;
3)    y=y*x;
4)    }

Ideally I would like to keep my own code with some modifications because that's what I understand best, even if barely. Otherwise I would have to start from scratch to understand a different code well enough.

Originally Posted by Excelisus

Could you be more specific about including y=y*x in the loop? I thought it is already in the loop.

If that were the case, how would you change the code to make it so that the y=y*x part was not inside the for-i loop any more?
Stuck? That's because it is already is outside.

Stick with the way you've written your program, it's fine, short of the small change with adding brackets. brack's code is wrong because it doesn't use the same random numbers for each power. He also either has no idea that you need real numbers in the range (0, 1], or doesn't understand how your code so simply does that. It's also more complicated than yours and far less efficient.

BTW, you can shorten y = y * x to just y *= x

Originally Posted by Excelisus

Could you be more specific about including y=y*x in the loop? I thought it is already in the loop.

Code:

1   for (i=0; i<15; i++)   
2   sum[i]+=y;               
3   y=y*x;

I'm going to answer your question, but also go out on a bit of a limb here because I've never liked the "standard" (and totally non-obvious) way bracing is used in C.

From the example above the loop is initiated on line 1 and correctly only executes line 2. Line 3 will not execute until the loop is complete. To include line 3 in the loop you need to put braces around it...

Code:

1    for (i= 0; i<15; i++){     
2    sum[i]+=y;
3    y=y*x;
4    }

... like that. Now lines 2 and 3 will be included in the loop as a "statement block".

My big grumble is the way this is formatted. It's not visually obvious where the loop begins and mismatched braces can be a frequent problem. I've always found the example below to be far more visually indicative of the code's function...

Code:

1    for (i = 0; i < 15; i++)   
2       { sum[i] += y;
3         y = y * x; }

I know this is only text formatting but half of reading comprehension is in the way the text is presented... The block of code is now visually obvious. Of course this is how I format my own code

Just a pet peeve...

Originally Posted by CommonTater

I'm going to answer your question, but also go out on a bit of a limb here because I've never liked the "standard" (and totally non-obvious) way bracing is used in C.

That sounds like a "strawman complaint" because you compared an example of "standard" (or rather, a common convention of) brace placement with no indentation versus an example of "non-standard" brace placement but with indentation. If we add indentation:

Code:

for (i= 0; i<15; i++){
    sum[i]+=y;
    y=y*x;
}

then your complaint about it being "not visually obvious where the loop begins and mismatched braces can be a frequent problem" is no longer valid, or at least as valid as a complaint against your personal style.

Originally Posted by iMalc

brack's code is wrong because it doesn't use the same random numbers for each power.
BTW, you can shorten y = y * x to just y *= x

You' re right....i wasn' t thinking something like that...my sorry