118 



Randomness and its scientific treatment [CHAP. V, 



character of the rows of figures displayed by the incommen 

 surable or irrational ratios in question. 



As it may interest the reader to see an actual specimen 

 of such a path I append one representing the arrangement 

 of the eight digits from to 7 in the value of TT. The data 

 are taken from Mr Shanks astonishing performance in the 

 calculation of this constant to 707 places of figures (Proc. of 

 R. S., xxi. p. 319). Of these, after omitting 8 and 9, there 

 remain 568; the diagram represents the course traced out 

 by following the direction of these as the clue to our path. 

 Many of the steps have of course been taken in opposite 

 directions twice or oftener. The result seems to me to 

 furnish a very fair graphical indication of randomness. I 

 have compared it with corresponding paths furnished by 

 rows of figures taken from logarithmic tables, and in other 

 ways, and find the results to be much the same. 



Start 





