Rand

rand

Returns a pseudo-random integral number in the range between 0 and RAND_MAX.

This number is generated by an algorithm that returns a sequence of apparently non-related numbers each time it is called. This algorithm uses a seed to generate the series, which should be initialized to some distinctive value using function srand.

RAND_MAX is a constant defined in <cstdlib>.

A typical way to generate trivial pseudo-random numbers in a determined range using rand is to use the modulo of the returned value by the range span and add the initial value of the range:

v1 = rand() % 100;         // v1 in the range 0 to 99
v2 = rand() % 100 + 1;     // v2 in the range 1 to 100
v3 = rand() % 30 + 1985;   // v3 in the range 1985-2014