Alternative Random Number Generator: The Sheep Of Mr. Charles Platts

This new intervention in Country Park uses digits sprayed onto sheep to illustrate random number theory. The title, ALTERNATIVE RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR: THE SHEEP OF MR. CHARLES PLATTS, references the farmer who the sheep belong to, and who has kindly agreed to work with the artists on this project. The sheep create their own chaotic number formations as they wander around the Park.

Various applications of randomness have led to the development of different methods for generating random data. Some of these have existed since ancient times, including well-known examples like the rolling of dice, coin flipping, the shuffling of playing cards, the se of yarrow stalks (for divination) in the I Ching, as well as countless other techniques. Because of the mechanical nature of these techniques, generating large quantities of sufficiently random numbers (important in statistics) required much work and time. Thus, results are sometimes collected and distributed as random number tables.

Working with the university of Manchester Maths Department, it was calculated that the sheep randomly grazing around the park with numbers on their flanks were seen by YSP visitors in so many random formations that they created more random numbers in one month than there are atoms in this universe.

Random numbers are used a lot in mathematics, coding, online security. Random number generators have applications in gambling, statistical sampling, computer simulation, cryptography, completely randomised design and other areas where producing an unpredictable result is desirable. Generally, in applications having unpredictability as the paramount feature, such as in security applications, hardware generators are generally preferred over pseudorandom algorithms, where feasible.

It is extremely complex to create a random number and one institute in North America creates just one every two minutes. This is why Daudy and Novoselov's random number generator was of such interest. Daudy subsequently made a film of the sheep on the farm of Top Gear and Clarkson's Farm presenter Jeremy Clarkson who was interested in the project. The film was shown in Red Square to the amusement of the world's largest forum of mathematicians in 2021.

The paint used was organic and non-toxic and the process has been overseen by the farmer. No animals have been or will be harmed in any way in this exhibition.​

The film of the project can be seen in the film section.

https://www.wonderchaos.org/alternative-random-number-generator-the-sheep-of-mr-charles-platts.html