shuffling

A playing card is a typically hand-sized rectangular (in India, round) piece of heavy paper or thin plastic used for playing card games. A complete set of cards is a pack or deck. Playing cards are often used as props in magic tricks, as well as occult practices such as cartomancy, and a number of card games involve (or can be used to support) gambling. As a result, their use sometimes meets with disapproval from some religious groups (such as conservative Christians). They are also a popular collectible (as distinct fro ...

Including:

• Playing card - History
• Playing card - Early history
• Playing card - Spread across Europe and early design changes
• Playing card - Later design changes
• Playing card - Alleged symbolism
• Playing card - Playing cards today
• Playing card - Anglo-American
• Playing card - German and Austrian
• Playing card - Hungarian
• Playing card - Italian
• Playing card - Spanish
• Playing card - Japanese
• Playing card - Playing card symbols in Unicode
• Playing card - Reference
• Playing card - Card magicians and gambling authorities

Read more here: » Playing card: Encyclopedia - Playing card

A random number generator is a computational or physical device designed to generate a sequence of numbers that does not have any easily discernable pattern, so that the sequence can be treated as being random. Random number generators have existed since ancient times, in the form of dice and coin flipping, the shuffling of playing cards, the use of yarrow stalks in the I Ching, and many other methods. Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers. Main article: pseudo-ran ...

Including:

• Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers
• Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes
• Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks
• Random number generator - Uses of random numbers
• Random number generator - Low-discrepancy sequences as an alternative

Read more here: » Random number generator: Encyclopedia - Random number generator

Playing card - Early history. The origin of playing cards is obscure, but it is almost certain that they began in China after the invention of paper. Ancient Chinese "money cards" have four "suits": coins (or cash), strings of coins (which may have been misinterpreted as sticks from crude drawings), myriads of strings, and tens of myriads. These were represented by ideograms, with numerals of 2-9 in the first three suits and numerals 1-9 in the "tens of myriads". Wilkinson suggests in The Chinese origin of playin ...

See also:

Playing card, Playing card - History, Playing card - Early history, Playing card - Spread across Europe and early design changes, Playing card - Later design changes, Playing card - Alleged symbolism, Playing card - Playing cards today, Playing card - Anglo-American, Playing card - German and Austrian, Playing card - Hungarian, Playing card - Italian, Playing card - Spanish, Playing card - Japanese, Playing card - Playing card symbols in Unicode, Playing card - Reference, Playing card - Card magicians and gambling authorities

Read more here: » Playing card: Encyclopedia II - Playing card - History

Playing card - Early history. The origin of playing cards is obscure, but it is almost certain that they began in China after the invention of paper. Ancient Chinese "money cards" have four "suits": coins (or cash), strings of coins (which may have been misinterpreted as sticks from crude drawings), myriads of strings, and tens of myriads. These were represented by ideograms, with numerals of 2-9 in the first three suits and numerals 1-9 in the "tens of myriads". Wilkinson suggests in The Chinese origin of playin ...

See also:

Playing card, Playing card - History, Playing card - Early history, Playing card - Spread across Europe and early design changes, Playing card - Later design changes, Playing card - Alleged symbolism, Playing card - Playing cards today, Playing card - Anglo-American, Playing card - German and Austrian, Playing card - Hungarian, Playing card - Italian, Playing card - Spanish, Playing card - Japanese, Playing card - Playing card symbols in Unicode, Playing card - Card magicians and gambling authorities

Read more here: » Playing card: Encyclopedia II - Playing card - History

When the men are away on a hunting trip, the women left at home entertain themselves with games, which may involve throat singing. Two women face each other usually in a standing position. One singer leads by setting a short rhythmic pattern, which she repeats leaving brief silent intervals between each repetition. The other singer fills in the gap with another rhythmic pattern. Usually the competition lasts up to three minutes un ...

See also:

Inuit throat singing, Inuit throat singing - Migration, Inuit throat singing - New World Terms, Inuit throat singing - Inuit Throat Singing, Inuit throat singing - Source

Read more here: » Inuit throat singing: Encyclopedia II - Inuit throat singing - Inuit Throat Singing

What constitutes a "true" random number is often difficult to decide, since the concept of randomness is itself somewhat difficult to define. What is universally agreed is that any "random number generator" based solely on deterministic computation cannot be regarded as a "true" random number generator, since its output is inherently predictable. John von Neumann once famously said "Anyone who uses software to produce random numbers is in a state of sin" (some sources say "arithmetic methods" instead of "software"). Howe ...

See also:

Random number generator, Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers, Random number generator - Random numbers in computing, Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes, Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks, Random number generator - Uses of random numbers, Random number generator - Low-discrepancy sequences as an alternative

Read more here: » Random number generator: Encyclopedia II - Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers

In a game of Magic, two players are engaged in a duel. A player starts the game with twenty "life" points and seven cards in their hand. If a player is reduced to zero life, that player loses the game. The object of Magic is to be the last surviving player. Players fight each other by casting spell cards by drawing upon mana, or magical energy, from Land cards. There are two basic types of spells: those which become a "permanent", which stay on the table once they have been playe ...

See also:

Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering - History, Magic: The Gathering - Awards, Magic: The Gathering - Game play, Magic: The Gathering - Deck construction, Magic: The Gathering - The colors of Magic, Magic: The Gathering - Variant rules, Magic: The Gathering - Organized play, Magic: The Gathering - Constructed, Magic: The Gathering - Limited, Magic: The Gathering - Product information, Magic: The Gathering - Secondary market, Magic: The Gathering - Artwork, Magic: The Gathering - Storyline, Magic: The Gathering - Controversial aspects, Magic: The Gathering - Expense, Magic: The Gathering - Luck vs. skill, Magic: The Gathering - Net decking, Magic: The Gathering - Demonic themes, Magic: The Gathering - Gambling, Magic: The Gathering - Patent, Magic: The Gathering - Notable players

Read more here: » Magic: The Gathering: Encyclopedia II - Magic: The Gathering - Game play

In a game of Magic, two players are engaged in a duel. A player starts the game with twenty "life" points and seven cards in their hand. If a player is reduced to zero life, that player loses the game. The object of Magic is to be the last surviving player. Players fight each other by casting spell cards by drawing upon mana, or magical energy, from Land cards. There are two basic types of spells: those which become a "permanent", which stay on the table once they have been played, and those which affect the game immediately and are then put into ...

See also:

Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering - History, Magic: The Gathering - Awards, Magic: The Gathering - Game play, Magic: The Gathering - Deck construction, Magic: The Gathering - The colors of Magic, Magic: The Gathering - Variant rules, Magic: The Gathering - Organized play, Magic: The Gathering - Constructed, Magic: The Gathering - Limited, Magic: The Gathering - Product information, Magic: The Gathering - Secondary market, Magic: The Gathering - Artwork, Magic: The Gathering - Storyline, Magic: The Gathering - Controversial aspects, Magic: The Gathering - Expense, Magic: The Gathering - Luck vs. skill, Magic: The Gathering - Net decking, Magic: The Gathering - Demonic themes, Magic: The Gathering - Gambling, Magic: The Gathering - Patent, Magic: The Gathering - Notable players

Read more here: » Magic: The Gathering: Encyclopedia II - Magic: The Gathering - Game play

One important kind of sorting is arranging items of information in alphabetical sequence according to some pre-defined ordering relation (sort key by each group of lists), e.g. when one sorts the books in a library by title, subject or author (all alphabetically sorted normally in ascending order). The resulting order may be either ascending or descending, because essentially all sorting is numerical sorting. Now if you sort on different keys, then you get different lists of header information (such as the author's name) with the appe ...

See also:

Sorting, Sorting - Sorting information or data, Sorting - Physical sorting processes

Read more here: » Sorting: Encyclopedia II - Sorting - Sorting information or data

Even given sources of plausible random numbers, obtaining numbers which are completely unpredictable and unbiased is a very difficult task. Since random number generators are inherently designed to be unpredictable, it is difficult to ensure that they are being predictably unpredictable. For example, many hardware random number generators generate random numbers which tend to get focused in certain areas instead of being distributed uniformly, and their behavior may change with temperature, with voltage, with the age of the device, or ...

See also:

Random number generator, Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers, Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes, Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks, Random number generator - Uses of random numbers, Random number generator - Low-discrepancy sequences as an alternative

Read more here: » Random number generator: Encyclopedia II - Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks

Each card has an illustration to represent the flavor of the card, often reflecting the setting of the expansion for which it was designed. Since its inception, Magic has used exceptionally high-quality art on its cards, by many well-known fantasy and science-fiction illustrators. Notable artists who have contributed art for Magic cards include John Avon, Brom, John Coulthart, Mike Dringenberg, Kaja Foglio, Phil Foglio, Frank Kelly Freas, Donato Giancola, Rebecca Guay, John Howe, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ron Spencer, Bryan Talbot, Christopher Rush, Kev Walker, ...

See also:

Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering - History, Magic: The Gathering - Awards, Magic: The Gathering - Game play, Magic: The Gathering - Deck construction, Magic: The Gathering - The colors of Magic, Magic: The Gathering - Variant rules, Magic: The Gathering - Organized play, Magic: The Gathering - Constructed, Magic: The Gathering - Limited, Magic: The Gathering - Product information, Magic: The Gathering - Secondary market, Magic: The Gathering - Artwork, Magic: The Gathering - Storyline, Magic: The Gathering - Controversial aspects, Magic: The Gathering - Expense, Magic: The Gathering - Luck vs. skill, Magic: The Gathering - Net decking, Magic: The Gathering - Demonic themes, Magic: The Gathering - Gambling, Magic: The Gathering - Patent, Magic: The Gathering - Notable players

Read more here: » Magic: The Gathering: Encyclopedia II - Magic: The Gathering - Artwork

An intricate storyline underlies the cards released in each expansion and is shown in the art and flavor text of the cards, as well as in novels and anthologies published by Wizards of the Coast (and formerly, by HarperPrism). It takes place in the multiverse of Dominia, which consists of an infinite number of planes. The majority of Magic's early story is set in the plane called Dominaria, and can be broken down into several distinct time periods each detailed in certain sets. ...

See also:

Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering - History, Magic: The Gathering - Awards, Magic: The Gathering - Game play, Magic: The Gathering - Deck construction, Magic: The Gathering - The colors of Magic, Magic: The Gathering - Variant rules, Magic: The Gathering - Organized play, Magic: The Gathering - Constructed, Magic: The Gathering - Limited, Magic: The Gathering - Product information, Magic: The Gathering - Secondary market, Magic: The Gathering - Artwork, Magic: The Gathering - Storyline, Magic: The Gathering - Controversial aspects, Magic: The Gathering - Expense, Magic: The Gathering - Luck vs. skill, Magic: The Gathering - Net decking, Magic: The Gathering - Demonic themes, Magic: The Gathering - Gambling, Magic: The Gathering - Patent, Magic: The Gathering - Notable players

Read more here: » Magic: The Gathering: Encyclopedia II - Magic: The Gathering - Storyline

Magic: The Gathering cards are produced in much the same way as normal playing cards. Each Magic card, approximately 63 x 88 mm in size (2.5 by 3.5 inches), has a face which displays the card's name and rules text as well as an illustration appropriate to the card's concept. Over 7000 unique cards have been produced for the game, with about 600 new ones added each year. Each player builds a deck of cards, ...

See also:

Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering - History, Magic: The Gathering - Awards, Magic: The Gathering - Game play, Magic: The Gathering - Deck construction, Magic: The Gathering - The colors of Magic, Magic: The Gathering - Variant rules, Magic: The Gathering - Organized play, Magic: The Gathering - Constructed, Magic: The Gathering - Limited, Magic: The Gathering - Product information, Magic: The Gathering - Secondary market, Magic: The Gathering - Artwork, Magic: The Gathering - Storyline, Magic: The Gathering - Controversial aspects, Magic: The Gathering - Expense, Magic: The Gathering - Luck vs. skill, Magic: The Gathering - Net decking, Magic: The Gathering - Demonic themes, Magic: The Gathering - Gambling, Magic: The Gathering - Patent, Magic: The Gathering - Notable players

Read more here: » Magic: The Gathering: Encyclopedia II - Magic: The Gathering - Product information

What constitutes a "true" random number is often difficult to decide, since the concept of randomness is itself somewhat difficult to define. What is universally agreed is that any "random number generator" based solely on deterministic computation cannot be regarded as a "true" random number generator, since its output is inherently predictable. John von Neumann once famously said "Anyone who uses software to produce random numbers is in a state of sin". However, under some circumstances, carefully chosen pseudo-random ...

See also:

Random number generator, Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers, Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes, Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks, Random number generator - Uses of random numbers, Random number generator - Low-discrepancy sequences as an alternative

Read more here: » Random number generator: Encyclopedia II - Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers

Magic: The Gathering - Expense. With three to four new sets appearing each year, many players complain that it requires a substantial investment to maintain a Magic collection that is competitive and/or complete. The principal competitive format, Standard or Type 2, uses only cards from the last completed block (a block being three consecutive sets with common themes and game mechanics), the block currently in print, and the last "core set", forcing players who wish to remain competitive to maintain ...

See also:

Magic: The Gathering, Magic: The Gathering - History, Magic: The Gathering - Awards, Magic: The Gathering - Game play, Magic: The Gathering - Deck construction, Magic: The Gathering - The colors of Magic, Magic: The Gathering - Variant rules, Magic: The Gathering - Organized play, Magic: The Gathering - Constructed, Magic: The Gathering - Limited, Magic: The Gathering - Product information, Magic: The Gathering - Secondary market, Magic: The Gathering - Artwork, Magic: The Gathering - Storyline, Magic: The Gathering - Controversial aspects, Magic: The Gathering - Expense, Magic: The Gathering - Luck vs. skill, Magic: The Gathering - Net decking, Magic: The Gathering - Demonic themes, Magic: The Gathering - Gambling, Magic: The Gathering - Patent, Magic: The Gathering - Notable players

Read more here: » Magic: The Gathering: Encyclopedia II - Magic: The Gathering - Controversial aspects

Playing card - Anglo-American. The primary deck of fifty-two playing cards in use today, called Anglo-American playing cards, includes thirteen ranks of each of the four English suits, spades (♠), hearts (♥), diamonds (♦) and clubs (♣), with reversible Rouennais court cards. ...

See also:

Playing card, Playing card - History, Playing card - Early history, Playing card - Spread across Europe and early design changes, Playing card - Later design changes, Playing card - Alleged symbolism, Playing card - Playing cards today, Playing card - Anglo-American, Playing card - German and Austrian, Playing card - Hungarian, Playing card - Italian, Playing card - Spanish, Playing card - Japanese, Playing card - Playing card symbols in Unicode, Playing card - Reference, Playing card - Card magicians and gambling authorities

Read more here: » Playing card: Encyclopedia II - Playing card - Playing cards today

Random number generators have several important applications in gambling, statistical sampling, computer simulation, etc. Note that, in general, in applications where human fraud or adversaries exist, hardware-generated numbers should be used in preference to pseudo-random number generators. ...

See also:

Random number generator, Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers, Random number generator - Random numbers in computing, Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes, Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks, Random number generator - Uses of random numbers, Random number generator - Low-discrepancy sequences as an alternative

Read more here: » Random number generator: Encyclopedia II - Random number generator - Uses of random numbers

Even given sources of plausible random numbers, obtaining numbers which are completely unpredictable and unbiased is a very difficult task. Since random number generators are inherently designed to be unpredictable, it is difficult to ensure that they are being predictably unpredictable. For example, many hardware random number generators generate random numbers which tend to get focused in certain areas instead of being distributed uniformly, and their behavior may change with temperature, with voltage, with the age of the device, or ...

See also:

Random number generator, Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers, Random number generator - Random numbers in computing, Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes, Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks, Random number generator - Uses of random numbers, Random number generator - Low-discrepancy sequences as an alternative

Read more here: » Random number generator: Encyclopedia II - Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks

There is a general consensus that if there are such things as "true" random numbers, they are likely to be found by looking at physical processes which are, as far as we know, unpredictable. A physical random number generator is based on an essentially random atomic or subatomic physical phenomenon. Examples of such phenomena include radioactive decay, thermal noise, and shot noise. Physical random number generators relying on quantum mechanical processes have the advantage that the sequences they produce are completely unpredi ...

See also:

Random number generator, Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers, Random number generator - Random numbers in computing, Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes, Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks, Random number generator - Uses of random numbers, Random number generator - Low-discrepancy sequences as an alternative

Read more here: » Random number generator: Encyclopedia II - Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes

There exist many functions that computers can ultilize that obey statistical laws of randomness, and usually provide a number between 0 and 1, to a certain number of decimal places, usually three. This means, that for N trials, the number of expected outcomes = N/(number of outcomes). It is often quoted that such functions are deterministic, and therefore not truly random, however, these people pre-suppose that the person determining the output has access to the microsecond value that was used by the rand ...

See also:

Random number generator, Random number generator - True random numbers vs. pseudo-random numbers, Random number generator - Random numbers in computing, Random number generator - Generating random numbers from physical processes, Random number generator - Post-processing and statistical checks, Random number generator - Uses of random numbers, Random number generator - Low-discrepancy sequences as an alternative

Read more here: » Random number generator: Encyclopedia II - Random number generator - Random numbers in computing