“Randomness” post series: summary

I think “randomness” is characterised by a “mixed-upness” of results, laws which constrain this, and the fact that, apart from those laws, the results are unknown to us (but not to God). My recent posts on the subject have been:

1. Introduction
2. Randomness and rules
3. “Random” does not mean “uncaused”
4. Randomness and God
5. Randomness and knowledge
6. Casting lots
7. Games of Chance
8. Dice

Randomly dropping needles onto floorboards can be used to estimate the value of pi – as 2r/f, where r is the ratio of needle length to board width, and f is the observed fraction of needles which fall across lines. Try it.