Joe wrote on Tue, 9 Mar 2010 09:54:20 -0800:

"James Silverton" wrote:
Technically, if you do not allow duplication you don't truly have
random numbers.

So by your definition, it is impossible to choose 6 people "at
random" from a group of 49.

Wrong! There is random selection "with replacement" and
"without replacement".

----- original message -----

"James Silverton" wrote in
message ...
mike_vr wrote on Tue, 9 Mar 2010 09:19:01 -0800:

Does anyone know how I can have six cells next to each
other, using the =RANDBETWEEN(1,49) function, where none of the
cells equal each other? I.e. a random lottery function
without having two of the same numbers. I'm trying to do
this without creating a huge nested If statement so any help
would be appreciated.

Technically, if you do not allow duplication you don't truly have
random numbers. However, there are sites that will
produce both duplicated and unduplicated "random" digits, for
example, http://stattrek.com/Tables/Random.aspx These could be put in
a column and selected
sequentially.

So by your definition, it is impossible to choose 6 people "at random"
from a group of 49.

Wrong! There is random selection "with replacement" and "without
replacement".

My aside was somewhat a matter of math definition and meeting tests for
randomness in a population of numbers. I am not "wrong".

However, for all practical purposes any method will do. Almost all
generated "random" numbers are pseudorandom anyway. I admit that there
are hardware solutions using electronic noise but even they will produce
repeats. It's analogous to the fact that, say, 10 zeroes will occur
sequentially in the digits of PI.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not