Monkey tests for random number generators (Q1311978)

This paper describes some simple but sophisticated tests of suitability of certain random number generators (RNG's). The generators are used to provide the random keystrokes. The overlapping \(m\)-tuples of successive elements in random sequences are used for assessing both uniformity and independence in the output of a random number generator. One is CAT test: RNG has a typewriter with 26 upper-case letters and how many keystrokes needed to spell CAT is tested. The others are OPSO (Overlapping-Pairs-Sparse-Occupancy), OTSO (Overlapping-Triples-Sparse- Occupancy), OQSO (Overlapping-Quadruples-Sparse-Occupancy) and DNA tests: how many missing \(k\)-letter words in a long string of \(n\) random keystrokes from an alphabet of \(\alpha\) letters are tested. Examples of RNG's in classes of congruential generators, shift register generators, lagged Fibonacci generators, add-with-carry and subtract-and- carry generators and combination generators, passing these tests are presented.