Statistical Glossary
Pseudo-Random Numbers:
Pseudo-random numbers are produced by recursive algorithms - i.e. the current number is calculated from one or a greater number of previous numbers. Thus, strictly speaking, the pseudo-random numbers are deterministic, not random. On the other hand, in many respects pseudo-random numbers behave like truly random numbers.
Pseudo-random numbers are widely used in Monte Carlo simulation and in related applications, e.g. in the relatively new and powerful branch of practical statistics known as resampling .
See also short courses
and the online book Resampling: The New Statistics .