The muon-powered, universe-bifurcating, random number machine

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  • Опубликовано: 5 янв 2020
  • / alphaphoenixchannel
    / alpha__phoenix
    This video has been 4 years in the making… In undergrad I started work on a random number generator that used a geiger tube to generate random pulses and a nixie as the primary display (here's the ancient "it almost works" video: • Random Box Preview ). Unfortunately, I couldn't prove it was actually working back then because I couldn't make the geiger tick faster with the test alpha source I had (alpha particles get blocked super-easily). I rebuilt the thing this past summer, and FINALLY got to making the video! I hope you enjoy it!
    If you're interested, here's a nice relatively-plain-English summary of the many-worlds-hypothesis (Rick and Morty) and it mentions the competing Copenhagen interpretation (Schrodinger's cat).
    www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/manywor...
    #Random #Physics #Maker
    Music in this video:
    I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
    ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
    Images in this video:
    Rick and Morty from Rick and Morty on Adult Swim
    1925 Model T from ModelTMitch
    The Rocinante from The Expanse on Syfy/Amazon Prime
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Комментарии • 1,5 тыс.

  • @matthewgilbie4087
    @matthewgilbie4087 2 года назад +1931

    Ah, but the numbers rolled in this video are no longer random, because they were recorded and will come out the same every time now.

    • @Rotem_S
      @Rotem_S 2 года назад +67

      They are what defines this branch from different ones though

    • @chalkeater1427
      @chalkeater1427 2 года назад +35

      @@Rotem_S nothing defines any branch from any other; everything is completely random to an infinite degree. In this way, everything is the same. In an infinite amount of trials, something unlikely will happen the same amount of times as something likely. It’s like an infinite number of $20 bills and $1 bills.

    • @scrambledmandible
      @scrambledmandible 2 года назад +71

      @@chalkeater1427 What kind of chalk do you like to eat? I like the blue kind

    • @Fidder492
      @Fidder492 2 года назад +38

      @@scrambledmandible Personally, the white ones are better. My family thinks it's cocaine when it's actually chalk.

    • @dimosk7389
      @dimosk7389 2 года назад +5

      true...but only in OUR universe ;)

  • @Monkeyshaman
    @Monkeyshaman 2 года назад +2120

    It's okay to admit you built a thing to show all your quantum physics memes.

    • @liggerstuxin1
      @liggerstuxin1 2 года назад +17

      I respect the flex though. Most couldn’t care less how things work and exist.

    • @crazydog3307
      @crazydog3307 2 года назад +16

      is it really possible to show all possible quantum physics memes?

    • @spacedoohicky
      @spacedoohicky 2 года назад +10

      @@crazydog3307 The device may be universe bifurcating. So maybe he did in other universes.

    • @gama5942
      @gama5942 2 года назад

      1000th like

    • @Monkeyshaman
      @Monkeyshaman 2 года назад

      @@gama5942 to me it is tuesday.

  • @melody_florum
    @melody_florum 2 года назад +498

    Him just punching random numbers into a calculator, getting a syntax error, and continuing to punch random numbers sped up is way funnier than it should have been

  • @niemand262
    @niemand262 2 года назад +884

    Q: How do you make a truly random number generator?
    A: Bombard a planet with sunlight for billions of years.

    • @mrspeedrunwastaken1348
      @mrspeedrunwastaken1348 2 года назад +12

      technically my dude, it'd be mostly star light or black hole radiation actually. :nerdface:

    • @shoof_5839
      @shoof_5839 2 года назад +25

      @@mrspeedrunwastaken1348 i believe he is talking about sunlight which birthed life on the planet, and in turn birthed random number generator - generating humans :)

    • @billyumbraskey8135
      @billyumbraskey8135 2 года назад

      every planet gets bombarded with sunlight lmao

    • @niemand262
      @niemand262 2 года назад +10

      @@billyumbraskey8135 I invite you to try and prove there aren't teslas on every planet near a star.

    • @mutantcube1737
      @mutantcube1737 2 года назад +6

      Technicaly speaking there is no true random, it may be unfathomable to be able to predict the outcome of the response, but it is still technicaly possible. Also humans aren't random either, every action you take can be predetermined, and could be predetermined from the beginning of time. With enough computing power you could predict the end of the universe and everything that happened during the universe, from the moment the universe began with 100% accuracy, because physics is absolute, and every reaction and interaction that occurs is bound by those same physics
      Edit: I've finished watching the video and I've found that he covers exactly what I'm talking about here, however I find that the explination given doesn't make much sense. Now I would love to explain why but im not typing out a 3 page essay in a comment reply section, so ill just leave it at feel free to ignore this message.

  • @piousminion7822
    @piousminion7822 3 года назад +3076

    Make another one that just toggles between 0 and 1 (Randomly) and label it "Schrodinger's Vegan Cat".

    • @ryuguy032197
      @ryuguy032197 3 года назад +102

      Lol.....Im sure PETA would like that version

    • @Asdayasman
      @Asdayasman 2 года назад +113

      Then finally make one that cycles through only the number zero for full zen mode random number generation.

    • @MJFallout
      @MJFallout 2 года назад +7

      Could you explain that please? I don't get it.

    • @draghettis6524
      @draghettis6524 2 года назад +112

      @@MJFallout
      After opening the box, the Schrodinger's Cat experiment has two possible outputs, dead (0) and alive (1).
      This guy suggests to do one machine like the one of the video, but that randomly chose between 0 and 1, making it be in essence a Schrodinger's Cat that don't use a cat, wich make it vegan.

    • @MJFallout
      @MJFallout 2 года назад +46

      @@draghettis6524 Oh, thx! catfree is the vegan option, got it.

  • @Garbaz
    @Garbaz 4 года назад +1442

    Props for using no Arduino (or any microcontroller at all)

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  4 года назад +728

      *made by the discrete component gang

    • @Monkeyshaman
      @Monkeyshaman 2 года назад +87

      *relearns what a gated IC is*
      _y-yes._

    • @vikingursigurdsson
      @vikingursigurdsson 2 года назад +27

      Well what's wrong with microcontrollers?

    • @annaw.1951
      @annaw.1951 2 года назад +183

      @@vikingursigurdsson Nothing, really. They're just so ubiquotous in DIY electronics projects on RUclips these days that it's nice to see a project that doesn't use one.

    • @matthewe3813
      @matthewe3813 2 года назад +77

      @@annaw.1951 Thats why I like ben eaters 8-bit breadboard computer project a lot.

  • @himselfe
    @himselfe 2 года назад +145

    I believe my local supermarket uses this process to decide where and when to place products.

    • @mrmurpleqwerty4838
      @mrmurpleqwerty4838 2 года назад +12

      They actually put the "staple foods" (i.e. bread, milk, eggs, sugar, etc.) as far away from each other as possible, so that you spend more time looking at stuff you wouldn't normally buy, so that you're more likely to buy more stuff.
      This is what causes you to go to the supermarket "just to grab a loaf of bread" and come back with a trunk full of groceries.

  • @MultiSdgsg
    @MultiSdgsg 2 года назад +421

    "Einstein would roll over in his grave. Not only does god play dice, the dice are loaded."

    • @yimoawanardo
      @yimoawanardo 2 года назад +19

      Randomness is an illusion imo. It is merely us unable to predict something so meticulous and, small I guess. De Broglie mechanics (or pilot-wave theory? I have to verify my sources and names) explain quantum mechanics without randomness.

    • @rithvikmuthyalapati9754
      @rithvikmuthyalapati9754 2 года назад +17

      @@yimoawanardo There is no true randomness since the randomness we perceive in the universe is based on a set of strict rules called physics. True randomness has no limits and no restrictions, meaning it doesn't exist.

    • @dane1382
      @dane1382 2 года назад +19

      @@rithvikmuthyalapati9754 quantum physics:

    • @franciscobohm1699
      @franciscobohm1699 2 года назад +10

      @@yimoawanardo you should really take a look at Sabine Hosenfelder channel if you haven't already. She kinda recently did a vid on pilot wave theory and some of its limitations

    • @maciejw1263
      @maciejw1263 2 года назад +8

      Nice civ alpha centauri references

  • @Beateau
    @Beateau 2 года назад +741

    Honestly, it was nice to see a Nixie in a project that WASN'T a clock.

    • @jamescollier3
      @jamescollier3 2 года назад +12

      So random 🙃😉

    • @midgetman4206
      @midgetman4206 2 года назад +13

      Sweet right? Well time to go make a nixie clock/watch

    • @mr.0x373
      @mr.0x373 2 года назад +17

      Actually that was a clock that shows the time when a muon hits the tube

    • @official-obama
      @official-obama 2 года назад +2

      @@mr.0x373 only one digit

    • @philb8437
      @philb8437 2 года назад +3

      @@official-obama well, 10 seconds instead of the regular 12 hours of the round clock, but it still goes round, just many more times in unnamed and unfollowed cycles

  • @specific_pseudonym
    @specific_pseudonym 4 года назад +295

    If you made more of these, I would totally buy one.

  • @satyajeetjena6758
    @satyajeetjena6758 2 года назад +255

    It could be a prototype for Divergence meter. May the choice of steins gate be with you. El Psy Congroo.

    • @fgvcosmic6752
      @fgvcosmic6752 2 года назад +27

      This is definitely a Beta worldline

    • @fwa8590
      @fwa8590 2 года назад +12

      Ah yes, this is me. It seems that the organisation is at it again. Don't worry though, I already my move to. This is all the choice of Steins;gate. El Psy Congrooooo

    • @rimmertf
      @rimmertf 2 года назад +7

      i am mad scientist

    • @anameaname2042
      @anameaname2042 2 года назад +8

      A divergence meter would require a baseline reading. You would need many gravity sensors.

    • @TheJunky228
      @TheJunky228 2 года назад +3

      My first thought as well

  • @DarkMeta_Minecraft
    @DarkMeta_Minecraft 2 года назад +379

    Everyone ever: True randomness is literally impossible. Fact.
    Quantum Physics: lol hold my beer/not beer 😂

  • @mjrippe
    @mjrippe 4 года назад +230

    I have to say that I love everything about this project. The graphics around the box telling the story of what's going on inside are double plus good.

    • @OH0PO
      @OH0PO 3 года назад +6

      36 years later and some are still using those adjective forms

    • @Gunth0r
      @Gunth0r 3 года назад +8

      what does newspeak have to do with all this? :D

  • @KlaasDeforche
    @KlaasDeforche 3 года назад +614

    Personally I do not subscribe to the many worlds interpretation but I did subscribe to your channel.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 года назад +153

      Hahahahaha thanks! (Yeah it seems kinda weird to me too but it makes for great sci-fi when you ignore like ALL of the details...)

    • @matthewcahill4475
      @matthewcahill4475 2 года назад +8

      Yeah it defies thermodynamics, creating a second universe out of nothing nah, Copenhagen interpretation for me

    • @alkestos
      @alkestos 2 года назад +9

      I hold onto the pilot wave. I know it's having _little bit_ of problems currently but it makes most sense to my human mind and _obviously_ I am the center of the universe so this conclusion is only logical. lol

    • @lollertoaster
      @lollertoaster 2 года назад +4

      Which means you didn't subscribe in the other half of the universes :p

    • @knaveHearted
      @knaveHearted 2 года назад +7

      There's a world where you both subscribe to the many worlds theory, and didn't subscribe to the channel.

  • @thatoneguyonurleft5338
    @thatoneguyonurleft5338 2 года назад +29

    "The ground is radioactive!"
    "The sky is radioactive, too!"
    AAAAHHAHAHAAHHAHAAA

  • @adamstolen4965
    @adamstolen4965 2 года назад +46

    Very smooth execution and presentation. Phenomenal job with putting the random number generator together! If you could make a double nixie tube system, I’m convinced there are some dedicated D&D players that would demand one of these elegant quantum systems to make their game proper.🤓

    • @vhaelen326
      @vhaelen326 Год назад +2

      i hate to admit it.. but yeah that was my idea aswell, rolling up to a d&d game with one of these, preferable with:
      1. more lights, preferably different ones with all the common dice numbers plus a d2 or some way to configure it into such
      2. loads of buttons and switches like oh if i switch over this here this is a d6, if i switch those 2 aswell its a d100 but if i only switch those 2 its a d10

    • @DavidZMediaisAwesome
      @DavidZMediaisAwesome Год назад

      This was on my mind the whole time while i was watching (and of course i’m a dungeon master)

  • @sangeethav1247
    @sangeethav1247 4 года назад +212

    Nice Video, haha didn't expect the multiverse editing, that was fun to watch.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  4 года назад +57

      I certainly had more fun watching it then my graphics card had trying to encode it xD

    • @jameswalker199
      @jameswalker199 3 года назад +4

      There's only supposed to be one dot on the screen or something?

    • @emanu1674
      @emanu1674 2 года назад +6

      @@jameswalker199 "Oh, crap, are you kidding me? Two dots? This never needs to be more than one dot. The two of you made us uncertain!"

  • @thelegend8570
    @thelegend8570 2 года назад +59

    "I swear if this thing doesn't have a nixie tu- YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES"

  • @someusername121
    @someusername121 2 года назад +3

    Fun fact, you can also call an RDRAND instruction on an Intel cpu made after 2012. It uses thermal noise in the chip to produce a true random number.

  • @Steph.98114
    @Steph.98114 2 года назад +7

    Imagine rolling up to your dnd game with this

  • @matthewhubka6350
    @matthewhubka6350 2 года назад +108

    Admit it, you just unplugged the detector to get the one without any numbers getting picked for a long time

  • @EgnachHelton
    @EgnachHelton 2 года назад +211

    You should try to build a device driver that integrate this device into your computer as /dev/random

    • @12-343
      @12-343 2 года назад +27

      But keep around the nixie tube, just for fun.

    • @kiraPh1234k
      @kiraPh1234k 2 года назад +9

      This device I don't think can serve as /dev/random without some work.
      Need consant source of numbers at any time, it cannot afford to wait seconds between requests - what do you do if you need /dev/random 13,000 times this second, 4,000 next second, etc?

    • @nikkiofthevalley
      @nikkiofthevalley 2 года назад +5

      @@kiraPh1234k All you need to do is scale up the area of it. The more area, the more muons you can detect

    • @stagger9660
      @stagger9660 2 года назад +15

      @@kiraPh1234k just have it backlog a bunch of random numbers and save those number for future use. As one is referenced, toss it away. Place a piece of radioactive material next to the device to crank out random numbers faster.

    • @unflexian
      @unflexian Год назад +3

      believe it or not this actually exists commercially, it's called an HRNG and there are many types using many quantum random process

  • @axaide4210
    @axaide4210 2 года назад +31

    13:20 "using this mill feels like overkill for this project" - guy using the properties of quantum physics to make a random number generator

  • @PretzelBS
    @PretzelBS 2 года назад +20

    I want one of these. Always been bugged how nothing in computers or physical objects that you can hold can be considered “true randomness”

  • @RSHastingsIV
    @RSHastingsIV 3 года назад +64

    So... hypothetically, if I asked to purchase this box off of you, how much would you charge + shipping?
    Also, how would you go about making a D20 version?

    • @Randy14512
      @Randy14512 2 года назад +10

      You could have the number counter count up to 20 instead of 9 and have 2 tubes instead of the 1 the circuitry isn't that hard its pretty cool to think of possibly having a toggle to chose what the highest number could be and then beable to toggle between diffrent standard dice

    • @Sick1982
      @Sick1982 2 года назад

      MTG?

    • @Xeth247
      @Xeth247 2 года назад +11

      Ah, I found the ttrpger.
      I also would like one. Or 8. In the d2, d4, d6, d8, d10, d100, d12, and d20 type.
      I knew my quest for perfect dice was not over.

  • @lukabinks1388
    @lukabinks1388 4 года назад +82

    Could you plllllleeeeeaasssseeee show us how to make one? I'd really enjoy making this

    • @Leekodot15
      @Leekodot15 2 года назад +7

      Well.... I mean, make a tube with a thin wire in it, vacuum it, maybe slap a different gas in it, I don't know, wire that through to the circuitry shown in the video, make a container for it, set the outputs, and uh... work yourself to death trying to figure out what you actually need to do.

    • @iIiWARHEADiIi
      @iIiWARHEADiIi 2 года назад +5

      Just buy Geiger tube and some sort of counter with the external triger and reset

  • @word6344
    @word6344 2 года назад +12

    When the players you DM keep fudging their dice rolls:

  • @maximus8905
    @maximus8905 2 года назад +10

    I always wondered how Okabe Rintaro could build a machine that “detects” what worldline he’s on. This it literally it. Lol

    • @westonslc
      @westonslc 2 года назад +5

      He is future gadget lab member 001, he just doesn't know it yet...

  • @LogicalQ
    @LogicalQ 2 года назад +8

    Alpha Phoenix is a God. He created RNGesus.

    • @Leekodot15
      @Leekodot15 2 года назад +1

      Nah, he just created a vessel for him to manifest in that uses the real world instead of the computer world.

  • @OMJames
    @OMJames 4 года назад +50

    I found you with the "tiniest RUclips plaque" video. Glad I stuck around! Really looking forward to what you have to show, man. GREAT editing, and I can really tell you put your heart into your videos. I'll be here for the long-run :)

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  4 года назад +8

      Thanks! Editing can be a pain but it's also a pile of fun! I love when I get to release a new project - next one shouldn't be too far out. I'm literally right now making final renders out of matlab for a Snake-playing AI...
      (tell your friends) =D

  • @CyanStudios24
    @CyanStudios24 2 года назад +4

    The visuals paired with your explainations are so well thought out!
    Absolutely love the parallel universes part

  • @ThreeProphets
    @ThreeProphets 2 года назад +4

    This is the most overengineered D10 I've ever seen

  • @phyricquinn2457
    @phyricquinn2457 2 года назад +8

    Amplification. That is an amazingly intuitive way of looking at quantum measurement that I had never considered before!

    • @Rotem_S
      @Rotem_S 2 года назад +1

      The next step is noticing amplification is associated with decoherence, and voila - a nice, logical (and completely rigorous, with no further axioms) reasoning behind the many worlds interpertation

  • @Kellysg126
    @Kellysg126 2 года назад +25

    Please please please post the schematics and plans for this, or sell them. Id love to have one

  • @enchantedplayer6168
    @enchantedplayer6168 2 года назад +5

    Honestly, I'd really like to see this being sold somewhere, it'd make games really interesting

  • @jaycobwhaley3974
    @jaycobwhaley3974 2 года назад +1

    Just discovered you, and I absolutely love the content! This is one of the most satisfying diy gizmos I’ve seen yet 😊

  • @Rossilaz58
    @Rossilaz58 2 года назад +4

    You're creating new universes for as long as that machine works.

  • @Riokaii
    @Riokaii 2 года назад +3

    I think a fix to the slight expected-ness of re-starting the clock at the previous value it was on is to run 2 clocks. When a trigger happens on the first clock as normal, The first number is shown as a value, and the display is frozen, while a 2nd clock is running in the background, the 2nd trigger pauses the 2nd clock for a "random" period of time, based on which value the 2nd clock lands on. Once the 2nd clock unfreezes, the first clock is set to sync with the value of the 2nd clock. And then you wait for the first clock to trigger again.
    (If this doesnt work, because my brain isn't 100% sure it conceptually works, i think some heuristic of re-syncing the clocks to each other on every other trigger or something might also work. It's hard to mentally track how the random triggering of everything affects the "randomness")

    • @alextaylor9746
      @alextaylor9746 2 года назад

      Could just use high voltage latch that gets triggered locking the number an clock just keeps running just not Seen till reset

  • @taylankammer
    @taylankammer 2 года назад

    This is absolutely amazing. I subscribed after watching some other videos already but after this one I can't understand why you don't have more subscribers!

  • @dandaigle4546
    @dandaigle4546 Год назад

    once again your presentations, youth, excitement, enthusiasm keep me wanting more and more, ty

  • @PotatoBoiYT
    @PotatoBoiYT 2 года назад +3

    Just discovered this channel, and I’ve gotta say, this is crazy stuff to even think about.

  • @MichaelRuppe
    @MichaelRuppe 3 года назад +8

    Such a project! And extremely well documented. Love this!

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  3 года назад +3

      Thanks! This one was literally years in the making! (Granted shelved for most of that time)

  • @i18nGuy
    @i18nGuy 5 месяцев назад

    What a fun, instructive and inspiring video! Great stuff and very much appreciate all the hard work that went into it.

  • @Gunbudder
    @Gunbudder 2 года назад +1

    i love a good pure random sequence. there was an urban legend that the random number sequence used in Doom's source code was generated using a nuclear generator. probably my favorite thing is using nuclear random sequences in a completely deterministic way. That is, you get the exact same number sequence each time, but the sequence follows no pattern at all. this can be incredibly useful for various things. it is like seeding your PRNG with 0 each time you use it, but on steroids

  • @_badsine_
    @_badsine_ 4 года назад +6

    I love that quantum mechanics can, in a way, be explained with math or philosophy interchangeably. It's a deliciously counterintuitive intersection of thinking.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  4 года назад +4

      I’d say it can only be adequately described (ie. predicted) with math. Philosophy is just the approximate interpretation from a human brain. When you try to wedge something that’s pure math into everyday life, it just doesn’t work...

    • @mikhailmikhailov8781
      @mikhailmikhailov8781 4 года назад +2

      I'd say more - Modern Physics in general is a window into incomprehensible through mathematics. The fact that humanity can formulate and manipulate that which it cannot understand is insane.

    • @officersoulknight6321
      @officersoulknight6321 2 года назад

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel Man, I wish Philosophy was actually useful. I find this kinda stuff extremely interesting, and I can _kinda_ swallow it, but I’m more talented for philosophical thoughts.

    • @kingcrimson4133
      @kingcrimson4133 2 года назад

      @@officersoulknight6321 Philosophy is useful, just not in a modern sense. Philosophy can be the difference between a life spent in contentment and a life spent in dread. But unfortunately, the modern definition of "useful" is "makes corporations more money", so the viability of important human practices like art and philosophy is tanking at the moment.

  • @davidjohnston4240
    @davidjohnston4240 2 года назад +23

    As a designer of random number generators of the sort you find in your CPU, that's a not-very-good random number generator. If you sample fast enough, you will get highly serially correlated data since it's an up-counter with a partially random clock. You use the term "Truly Random" when you should say "Non deterministic". To get to full randomness (1 bit of entropy per bit of data) you need to study up on entropy extractor theory. All the non-determinism in normal electrical RNGs come from quantum effects that lead to electrical noise. So there's nothing particularly special about a Geiger counter based RNG.

    • @jayjasespud
      @jayjasespud 2 года назад +1

      True random is non-deterministic. This is still pseudo-random.

    • @LogicalFindings
      @LogicalFindings 15 дней назад +1

      ​@jayjasespud the only right answer in this whole room of pseudo intellectuals

    • @davidjohnston4240
      @davidjohnston4240 15 дней назад

      @@jayjasespud The term "True Random" is used differently by different people. In all cases it seems to mean nondeterministic but for some it means full entropy and others it does not. Since cryptographically secure, nondeterministic, deterministic, full entropy, partially entropic and other terms like that are vey well defined and accurately define the properties of an RNG, poorly defined terms that don't really match what they mean like PRNG and True Random should be avoided if you want to make your words unambiguous.

  • @TheRmbomo
    @TheRmbomo 2 года назад

    The many-worlds you sequence was very satisfying to watch, thank you.

  • @ZeroEight
    @ZeroEight 2 года назад

    found your channel on a RUclips suggestion and I have been enjoying your videos for the past few days. I think you'll hit 1million subs in no time.

  • @Scrogan
    @Scrogan 4 года назад +7

    Nicely done, I’ve always pondered the use of a Geiger counter as a random number generator. In fact I’ve got a tube just like your one in my parts box in a breadboard boost converter circuit that may or may not have experienced one too many exciting discharges.
    As for your use of a nixie tube with an upside-down 2 as a 5, I like your style.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  4 года назад +1

      The SBM-20 was an upgrade from some really really tiny glass geiger tube I started with a few years ago. Other than making some toasty arcs inside when I got the test source too close to it, it's a great tube! I think I may have too little resistance in series or something to get very high countrates...
      As for the upside-down numbers, what can I say but I bought the cheapest tubes I could get!

    • @Scrogan
      @Scrogan 4 года назад

      AlphaPhoenix
      Different GM tubes have different gains or counts/area/second or whatever the metric is. There was a website I found a year or two ago when searching for a comparison between tubes that comprehensively measured a dozen or two of the tubes with alpha, beta, and gamma sources, both solid can and end-window tubes, chances are you’ve also stumbled across it. Really great resource, but I’m the end cost becomes the major factor when choosing, at least for me. I initially picked up the tiny SBM-21 as it was the cheapest GM tube on eBay, but I tried to solder a wire to it and it turns out that the plug in the end to keep the inside at low pressure melted at under 300C, so that ruined that tube. So I bought an SBM-20, as the ends of it perfectly fit a standard fuse holder bracket. The positive end of the SBM-21 is too small for any common size of fuse holder I know of, so I’ve no clue how it’s supposed to be held. I assume you’re also using fuse brackets yourself.
      As far as nixies go, a lot of the surplus ones around today are of soviet origin, where cutting costs by using the same digit for a 2 and 5 was somewhat common. I personally quite like this, it gives the display a character not found on other displays. I haven’t began a foray into the realm of nixies just yet, but when I do I plan on going for tubes which have symbol versions, e.g. Ω, V, A, Hz, etc.
      I’m also considering some of those obscure panel-mount electroluminescent displays, since they can be used for alphanumeric applications. From what I’ve seen on Applied Science’s channel, multiplexing EL displays is quite the task.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  4 года назад

      Yeah inside the lasercut wood humps on top of the box I've got some bent-up fuse holders I had to be very careful to not let touch any of the screws I use to hold it together lest I zap myself with 400V...
      I have also noticed that nearly all ebay vacuum tubes seem to come from former soviet states. Kinda interesting

  • @unusedTV
    @unusedTV 2 года назад +3

    I ran into your channel this afternoon your new election video. Enjoying several of the other videos now, including this one and the golf phase-plane!

  • @chicken_punk_pie
    @chicken_punk_pie 2 года назад

    I need to apologize (to you and the almighty algorithm) because I've seen this video in my feed multiple times in the past but not clicked it. I finally clicked on your Veritasium response a while ago and I'm now watching a bunch of your videos, and they're all fantastic! Wish I had done so sooner.

  • @yteicosf1103
    @yteicosf1103 2 года назад

    This is sooo fricking cool. Glad I discovered this channel.

  • @SollowP
    @SollowP 2 года назад +3

    Perfect for my D&D games.

  • @sligovolts
    @sligovolts 4 года назад +8

    Always a pleasure to watch a new video from you. Thank you very much and happy New Year!

  • @jedstanaland2897
    @jedstanaland2897 2 года назад +1

    When I was in the military I proposed a setup for random number generator that used subatomic particals to pick a randomly selected number that was then used to pick a random number of algorithms for a second number to be run through and then that will be your result the order of the algorithms could be determined randomly along with the starting algorithm and you could also make it repeat any number of times you want at random and the whole idea was to introduce as much difficulty as possible to determining the final value and what might have made the whole thing possible is that you could possibly just get it to work on a smartphone of the time.

  • @duality4y
    @duality4y 2 года назад

    i love this channel its under rated you explain everything so well :)

  • @gljames24
    @gljames24 2 года назад +10

    Dice are decently chaotic. I think I'll stick with dice for dnd.

    • @Ensign_games
      @Ensign_games 2 года назад +1

      this one is better though

    • @PolarDoc22
      @PolarDoc22 2 года назад

      Dice are lawful neutral, change my mind

  • @fwa8590
    @fwa8590 2 года назад +9

    Is this how Okabe built the divergence meter in Steins;gate?

    • @Cpruett
      @Cpruett 2 года назад +3

      was looking for the Stein's Gate reference.

  • @alejrandom6592
    @alejrandom6592 2 года назад +1

    This channel deserves infinitely many more views

  • @Gunny1971
    @Gunny1971 2 года назад +1

    Well done. This video really made me think. The quantum made visible (in a way) and a reference to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy...Solid Gold.

  • @danielhe8695
    @danielhe8695 2 года назад +3

    I've made something similar before as well, after I saw a video on random numbers on numberphile. I used a small piece of uranium ore as my true randomness source instead of cosmic rays.
    I also used a micro to do some more complex functions. Basically, every time the box gets booted up, the micro "calibrates" and measures the number of counts for a few minutes. After that, every minute, the number of counts in the past minute is subtracted from the calibration value. This result is then used as a seed for a pseudorandom number algorithm. This allows for an arbitriary range of random numbers. I hope it also serves to smooth out the bell curve and generate a more even statistical distribution, not sure about that though.

  • @t.487
    @t.487 2 года назад +4

    I kind of want a version that cycles between 1 and 20. If we can randomise a D10, we can randomise a D20 as well.

  • @cantubloodaxe768
    @cantubloodaxe768 2 года назад

    I did enjoy this! And I'm glad to have discovered your channel!

  • @baddspella
    @baddspella 2 года назад

    just stumbed onto yoru video, love your style, effort and presentation ! subscribed !

  • @rajshakya2854
    @rajshakya2854 3 года назад +3

    just keep going, these worth million views

  • @PabloRomanelli
    @PabloRomanelli 3 года назад +5

    Great video, please post stats about randomness of the device

  • @elisanovelo
    @elisanovelo 2 года назад +2

    "your so predictable"
    "PREDICT THIS" *builds a muon powered random number machine*

  • @imdeadserious6102
    @imdeadserious6102 2 года назад +1

    For those interested the special relativity that allows muons to reach the surface is basically a way of describing the fact that in real time (our practically stationary frame) these particles should decay before reaching the surface. However due to traveling at such a high rate of speed they can travel that distance while experiencing less time then it would take to travel that same distance from a stationary frame of reference.

  • @GTRichardson7
    @GTRichardson7 2 года назад +5

    you should find a company to make and sell these! I want one that has multiple Nixie tubes that each would have a different die value, so you have your full set of polyhedrals displayed ( a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d% or d100).

  • @dimosk7389
    @dimosk7389 2 года назад +4

    7:40 talking about total randomness, and the device gives 8-9 and then again 8-9...spooky

    • @dimosk7389
      @dimosk7389 2 года назад

      @Michael Darrow ye i understand that. it was just a joke ;)

    • @satan.is.my.copilot
      @satan.is.my.copilot Год назад

      I noticed that too, and I don't understand. Was that indeed random that it did exactly the same thing twice?

    • @dimosk7389
      @dimosk7389 Год назад

      @@satan.is.my.copilot i guess it is. if we are talking about total randomness, there is nothing that prevents the number 8 for example, to randomly pop 10 times in a row. or the number 5555555555 to exist somewhere in the Pi number

  • @wiktormazur7027
    @wiktormazur7027 2 года назад

    I love your channel. It's also nice seeing some crystalography because i liked it a lot in high school.

  • @jlong613
    @jlong613 2 года назад

    The parallel universe part got me subscribed. Awesome editing.

  • @tubeDude48
    @tubeDude48 4 года назад +5

    Where's the schematic for this?

  • @tailez606
    @tailez606 2 года назад +3

    I think a great improvement for this would be to add some kind of memory component. Then, when a random pulse is detected, instead of displaying a value on the display, store the value in memory (or store the time between detections, since that's where the randomness comes from). Afterwards, a user can just press a button and the device will display the oldest stored value and delete it from memory. This can be made more or less complicated as needed, for example by making a system that stores lots of values and can also recall previous random values instead of deleting them, or random numbers for specific dice types (like d6, d8, d20 or others).

  • @humanperson2375
    @humanperson2375 2 года назад

    I had this idea and I'm so glad i found this video. You could use this box to create a name for each universe, use it to identify nearby universes. You would have to have the box and result cause something do the universes arent just copies with different names so i would suggest using an output in a search engine and finding the first link that comes up, then find its creator get incontact, ask them what their job is and try to visit it. That should make a reliably random output, with travel cost, time, location and experience varying between the copies of the universe.

  • @sorac.2657
    @sorac.2657 2 года назад

    8:06 is it possible to make contact or anchor different realities or multible possiblities with sound or vibration like a arrow shooting through. And for the mechanic that tells the number when to stop, would running a specific hertz of sound or vibration through change the outcome ?

  • @DanHoke
    @DanHoke 3 года назад +3

    That was rad. Nice work. Now to go review "From Eternity to Here" to make sure I understood the Many Worlds hypothesis (hint: I didn't; I don't).

  • @BLUYES422
    @BLUYES422 3 года назад +3

    Make it into a Linux true random device

    • @akaHarvesteR
      @akaHarvesteR 3 года назад +1

      I was thinking of that too... Why aren't there ic package versions of this device out there for hardware rng? They'd be pretty great for crypto stuff

    • @Rotem_S
      @Rotem_S 2 года назад

      @@akaHarvesteR there absolutely are! Like two months ago I read about a laser chip thing which could generate tens of kilobytes of randomness per second - in consumer computers the operator has enough entropy to make these unecessary though (just use things like mouse positions to seed a CSPRNG)

  • @didxogns1
    @didxogns1 2 года назад

    Really loved your intro! Such a high quality

  • @kongqianfu
    @kongqianfu 2 года назад

    That casual slow mo scene in the beginning was very cool. I was not ready

  • @TrabberShir
    @TrabberShir 2 года назад +11

    "SOON"* unless I am just filing to see the video in question, you are really milking that asterisk for all it is worth at this point I think.
    Awesome work though, only recently found your channel, but you do awesome work.

    • @AlphaPhoenixChannel
      @AlphaPhoenixChannel  2 года назад +7

      Man well nobody watched this video when it was new - there are a bunch of follow-ups I passed on cause nobody cared and making another video after the project was “done” wasn’t nearly as interesting.
      It’s a whole lot more worthwhile now that RUclips is showing millions of people my thumbnails out of the blue!

    • @the.gamer112
      @the.gamer112 2 года назад

      @@AlphaPhoenixChannel My best guess is youtube hooked themselves up with a quantum computer XD

  • @Asdayasman
    @Asdayasman 2 года назад +3

    Anyone interested in the muon nonsense should check out The Thought Emporium's very recent video on the subject.

  • @simon20002
    @simon20002 2 года назад

    thank you for the passion with which you teach to us

  • @berryerpacic9995
    @berryerpacic9995 2 года назад

    ok wtf.. that was the most interesting vid i saw on yt in a long time.. u smart.. i like that.. and i didnt actually skip to the end to see the finished product.. nice presentation.. very well done..

  • @ironbeard4627
    @ironbeard4627 2 года назад +3

    I truly want upgraded version. Connection to computer, ability to change the range of numbers, and program that allows you to roll any dice easily. Not sure if possible, but connection to discord bot? Then nobody could say that the "random generator hates them", becouse that would just be "universe hates them".

  • @mojeimja
    @mojeimja 2 года назад +3

    You play with that devil's machine long enough - TVA will come for you and they prune you, just like every other unwanted VARIANT

  • @QazNotQuaz
    @QazNotQuaz 2 года назад

    your editing in this is so cool!!

  • @johngalt4657
    @johngalt4657 2 года назад +1

    Excellent video! More about Muons! Also you should show a how to step by step video on how to build a machine. Where can your viewers buy one? Maybe you should sell them!
    Doesn't need to be that fancy. No need for special tube counter.

  • @melody3741
    @melody3741 3 месяца назад

    The fact you used a nixie tube for this is incredible.

  • @possiblynova
    @possiblynova 2 года назад

    6:25 The Expanse reference is what earned my like, love it

  • @scottmarshall6766
    @scottmarshall6766 2 года назад

    Just a random (ah.. yeah) thought - You could use 2 (or more) events to set the clock frequency, then a another to start and stop the counter, if you wanted to reduce the averaging of time between muon events as a way of predicting the next event. Start at random a counter clock whose period is determined at random, then stop it at random. When recycled, there would be no way to predict the next event especially if you run the clock in the mhz range. You could even use several GM tubes and select the tubes used for the events based on a previous muon event. If you wanted a bigger more elaborate randomizer model. I've been a student of random since 1977 when I built my 1st big computer, a 6502 machine overclocked to 2mhz. True random is much harder than most people realize, but this is one of the better method I've seen. Cool too, using natures random events as an engine.
    Nice project. Enjoyed the video, thanks!

  • @Leo99929
    @Leo99929 2 года назад

    I like that you addressed the uncertainty between if the process is truly "random" and "unpredictable", or if we just do not have the scientific knowledge required to predict it accurately yet. It vexes me that the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics is tacitly assumed to be the "correct" interpretation, even though there are alternatives that are at least arguably at least equally as compelling such as De Broglie-Bohm.

  • @KeenanTims
    @KeenanTims 2 года назад +2

    Curious if you did any randomness testing on the data this generates. I'm not sure but suspect there will be some bias / self correlation using this method. Lots of subtle ways to make such a device not quite perfectly random.

  • @seb612schuth
    @seb612schuth 2 года назад

    Wow, just, wow, lovely project! This was excellent!

  • @SannevanSchie
    @SannevanSchie 2 года назад

    Great video, great explanation and a supercool looking random number generator. Would love to have one!

  • @SorogonHD
    @SorogonHD 2 года назад +1

    i'm very interested in that settlers of catan version, looks very good, is it up for sale anywhere?

  • @justanotheranonymous4381
    @justanotheranonymous4381 2 года назад

    Question: If this thing counts the time between 2 subsequent high energy particles it detects, then wouldn't that make it predictable if one were to say that statisticaly, the time would be smaller if there are naturally more high energy particles coming, say during the day and less time between counts when there are less particles coming during the night. Also if one where to take i to account the naturally occurring radioactivity that is present in your area, then it would be able to statisticaly narrow the time diference between the detections.

    • @lukegotszling983
      @lukegotszling983 2 года назад

      He briefly touches on this by holding up the radiation source next to it. There’s an easy way to still make it random by taking the millisecond time value of the next event, which would still be randomly distributed.

  • @brazni
    @brazni 2 года назад

    that's a really neat project, I like that you put some effort into the look of the box too. also appreciate the 555 :p

  • @austindale3129
    @austindale3129 2 года назад

    Loved the many world video edit lol, really interesting project Thanks!

  • @orpheuscreativeco9236
    @orpheuscreativeco9236 Год назад

    This is AWESOME!!! Great work and thanks for sharing! ✌️