Randomly

Randomly is an adverb describing actions or outcomes that occur without a fixed pattern or deliberate plan, typically governed by probability rather than certainty.

In statistics, randomness underpins methods such as random sampling (each unit has a known probability of inclusion) and random assignment (participants allocated to groups by chance to reduce bias). Randomness is characterized by properties like unpredictability of individual outcomes and, when repeated many times, approximate uniform distributions.

In computing and games, random numbers are produced by random number generators. True randomness is difficult to achieve; most practical systems rely on pseudorandom number generators—deterministic algorithms seeded with an unpredictable value. Cryptographic RNGs use entropy sources to make outputs resistant to prediction.

In everyday language, "randomly" often means "without clear purpose" rather than implying a rigorous stochastic process. People may perceive patterns in random data due to cognitive biases, such as the law of small numbers or clustering illusion.

Common methods for generating randomness include physical processes (radioactive decay, atmospheric noise) and algorithmic approaches (PRNGs).