Python Program: Generate Random Integer

In this sample program, you will learn to generate random integer numbers and show the result using the print() function.

Write a Python Program to Generate a Random Integer

To understand this demo program, you should have the basic Python programming knowledge:

• Python random number tutorial

Steps to Generate a Random Integer

In the sample below, we are taking the following two inputs from the user and storing them in two different variables.

• Total number of random numbers to generate
• The Upper Limit for the random numbers

To generate random integer numbers, you can use Python’s random module and one of its functions known as the randint().

Import the random module

To get started, you need to import the random module. This module offers a range of functions for generating random data. Import it at the beginning of your Python script like this:

import random

To generate multiple random numbers, you should call the randint() inside a Python for loop.

Generating a single random integer

The most straightforward way to generate a single random integer is to use the random.randint() function. It takes two arguments: the lower and upper bounds for the generated number (inclusive). Here’s an example:

import random

# Find a random integer between 3 and including 333
random_number = random.randint(3, 333)

print("Random Integer:", random_number)

Sample code: Generate random integer numbers

# Program to generate random integer numbers

# Import Random Module
import random

count = int(input("How many random numbers do you want to generate? "))
rmax = int(input("Enter Upper Limit for the random numbers: "))

for r in range(count):
    print(random.randint(0, rmax))

The output of the above code is as follows:

How many random numbers do you want to generate? 10
Enter Upper Limit for the random numbers: 1000
703
153
247
481
971
505
794
589
968
126

Generating random integers within a range

Suppose you need random integers within a specific range. In that case, you can use the random.randrange() function, which takes three arguments: start, stop, and step. The start / step arguments are optional.

Here’s an example that generates random integers between 10 and 50 (inclusive) with a step of 5:

import random

# Generate random integers between 10 and 50 (inclusive) with a step of 5
for _ in range(10):
    random_number = random.randrange(10, 55, 5)
    print("Random Integer:", random_number)

In this code, random.randrange(10, 55, 5) will yield random integers between 10 and 55 (inclusive) with intervals of 5.

Generating random integers with a random range

To add an element of surprise, you can generate random integers within a dynamically determined range. Here’s how:

import random

# Determine a random range for the random integers
lower_bound = random.randint(1, 10)
upper_bound = random.randint(11, 20)

# Generate a random integer within the determined range
random_number = random.randint(lower_bound, upper_bound)

print("Lower Bound:", lower_bound)
print("Upper Bound:", upper_bound)
print("Random Integer within Range:", random_number)

In this example, lower_bound and upper_bound are randomly defined, and a random integer is generated within that range.

Using random choices from a seq

In some cases, you might want random integers selected from a predefined sequence of values. The functionrandom.choice() is perfect for this:

import random

# Define a list of possible random integer values
integer_list = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]

# Generate a random integer from the list
random_number = random.choice(integer_list)

print("Random Integer from List:", random_number)

This code snippet will pick a random integer from the integer_list.

Seeding for Reproducibility

By default, Python’s random module generates pseudorandom numbers. If you want to reproduce the same sequence of random numbers in the future, you can set a seed using random.seed(). This is especially useful for debugging and testing. Here’s an example:

import random

# Set a seed for reproducibility
random.seed(42)

# Generate random integers
for _ in range(5):
    random_number = random.randint(1, 100)
    print("Random Integer:", random_number)

In this example, setting the seed to 42 ensures that the same sequence of random integers will be generated each time the script is run.

Where to use random numbers?

Random integer numbers are useful in a variety of Python applications. For example, they play an important role in creating games, simulations, and statistical models.

Here are a few examples of how you can use random integer numbers in Python applications:

• Create a dice game: You can use the randint() function to generate random numbers between 1 and 6 to simulate the roll of a die.
• Create a random number generator: The randint() function can also be used to create a random number generator for a variety of purposes, such as generating passwords or creating random samples of data.
• Create a simulation: You can use random integer numbers to create simulations of real-world issues such as to simulate the spread of a disease or the growth of a population.
• Create a statistical model: You can use random integer numbers to generate statistical models from real-world data. For example, you can build a model to show the income of a group or to visualize customer data that visits a store each day.

Before you leave

Congratulation. Today, you have learned different ways to generate random integers in Python. This is a common task in many applications. Python’s random module simplifies this process.

On top of it, we taught you how to set a seed value so that you can always produce the same sequence of random numbers. It is sometimes required for testing and debugging purposes.

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Enjoy coding,
TechBeamers.