According to -[R] functions-, the -set seed- command can take any seed from
0 to 2^31-1 inclusive, and, if I specify a seed with one of these values in
a do-file under -version- control and then use the -uniform()- function,
then the same result will be produced every time I execute that do-file
with the same input data. My query is, will this still be the case if I set
the seed to an even higher integer? I ask because, last July, I
inadvertently wrote a do-file containing the statements
set seed 4753533809;
gene double ranord2=uniform();
and executed it on 15 July 2004 under Stata 8.2 under Windows 2000,
producing some random-looking results and no complaints about the illegally
high seed. However, when I re-executed the same do-file today (7 September
2005) with the same input dataset under the Stata 8.2 update dated 10
January 2005, it produced a completely different set of random-looking
results, and still no complaints about the same illegally high seed. Have
there been any unpublicised revisions to -set seed- or to -uniform()-
affecting the response to an illegally high seed?
Best wishes (and thanks in advance)
Roger
--
Roger Newson
Lecturer in Medical Statistics
Department of Public Health Sciences
King's College London
5th Floor, Capital House
42 Weston Street
London SE1 3QD
United Kingdom
Tel: 020 7848 6648 International +44 20 7848 6648
Fax: 020 7848 6620 International +44 20 7848 6620
or 020 7848 6605 International +44 20 7848 6605
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://phs.kcl.ac.uk/rogernewson/
Opinions expressed are those of the author, not the institution.
