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This is my sentence:

The program should contain various problems in a random order, information, hints, and non-examined questions at the end.

So what is the difference between in a random order or in a randomised order and what is better for this sentence?

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  • The same as the difference between a larger balloon and an enlargened balloon.
    – AndyT
    Commented Mar 28, 2018 at 9:15
  • Did you mean "enlarged"?
    – WS2
    Commented Mar 28, 2018 at 9:23

2 Answers 2

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Random suggests the absence of any particular order, like leaves on the ground or static on a television. Randomized, however, means that that a random arrangement has been actively produced, like shuffling a deck of playing cards.

If your program simply chooses any text among a set of texts, then that's random order. If there is some routine in your program that assures that the order is indeed random, then that's randomized, i. e., made random.

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  • Is not "random" a natural condition that precedes interference or organisation by another party? Is it in fact possible to randomise something? My dictionary defines "random" as "lacking any definite plan or rearranged order". If an external "randomising" force or party acts on something can the result be described as "random", since the force must be applying its own artificial criteria.
    – WS2
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 21:09
  • My dictionary does go on to define "randomise" as "to set up in a deliberately random way...". How can something be "deliberately random"? Is it not like being "deliberately unintentional" - a contradiction in terms!
    – WS2
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 21:13
  • @WS2 "How can something be "deliberately random"? Haha. Well, you could deliberately draw shuffled numbers from a hat, or you could deliberately count in order from 1 to 10, both are deliberate, one is random and the other is, well, a sequence of our counting numbers, not random. Or if I want to spawn a monster in my video game, I could deliberately make it spawn at coordinates (2, 2, 2), or I could deliberately get the coordinates from a random number generator, and they would be random. I admit "deliberately random way" wouldn't be the best way to put it.
    – Zebrafish
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 21:24
  • This isn't my area of expertise, but computer programs designed to assure totally random results are elaborate affairs. It's difficult to imitate, say, the machine that blows the balls about for a lottery draw. The main point is that random is essentially passive and randomize/ise is an active process.
    – KarlG
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 21:26
  • I think the drawing of shuffled numbers from a hat probably works.
    – WS2
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 21:42
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random and randomised can both be used as adjectives. Random is a lemma or dictionary headword, or base word, it's the so to speak foundation onto which morphemes may be added to create variations of different meanings. According to Wikipedia the suffix of -ise/-ize is used:

usually changes nouns into verbs

However can also make verbs from adjectives, confer:
stable - stabilise - to make stable
mobile - mobilise - to make mobile
natural - naturalise - to make natural
central - centralise - to make central

Basically by adding this suffix you're creating a verb which means to do that which the adjective connotes. So to randomise is to make random.

When you randomise something it becomes randomised, (randomised being the past participle).

So the difference we have is that one word "random" is "random", and the word "randomised" acts as an adjective for something which has been made random.

That's the distinction if you want to observe one. The end result as I can see is that you end up with something random in both cases. But one emphasises that is has been made random.

In your usage I'd say the two terms are quite the same, if something is randomised then it becomes random. As I said, the difference lies in whether you want to emphasise that is has been made random. Philosophically speaking I don't know if something can be random without having been made random, I don't know.

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  • But what exactly might be "randomised"? I can conceive of such a thing, but my impression is that "randomised" is one of those overworked words which is used when people actually mean "random" - a bit like a "reverential attitude" which means nothing more than "a reverent attitude".
    – WS2
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 20:04
  • @WS2 if you mean "randomised" is just a longer and fancier word than "random", then depending on the context you could be right, but not always. As I said, it's a matter of emphasis, if you wish to make it. Research experiments might be double-blind, controlled, randomised trials, here the emphasis is that experimental subjects and control subjects have been selected so as to be random by the experimenter. As I said, I'm not sure if something can be random without having been made random.
    – Zebrafish
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 20:16
  • @WS2 If you have a random number generator, it returns a random number, the process of creating that random number is randomising. Edit: the random number generator returns both a random number and a randomised number, that's why I say philosophically and accurately speaking, I can't say with exactness.
    – Zebrafish
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 20:19
  • @WS2 In your example sentence, for most intents and purpose saying random or randomised doesn't hold much importance as to picking one or the other, because basically what you're saying is that it's random. "random" is "random" and "randomised" means it's been made "random", I'm not sure how else I can explain it.
    – Zebrafish
    Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 20:24

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