AlgorithmsStudy Notes

Random Number Functions

Part of Merge Sort — GCSE Computer Science

This study notes covers Random Number Functions within Merge Sort for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Merge Sort in Algorithms for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 10 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 4 of 7 in this topic. Use this study notes to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 4 of 7

Practice

15 questions

Recall

10 flashcards

Random Number Functions

OCR Pseudocode	What It Does	Example
random(min, max)	Returns random integer between min and max (inclusive)	random(1, 6) // dice roll

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Merge Sort. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Sorting Algorithm Flowchart Deep Dive: Uses of Random Numbers Video Lesson Digital Dice

Practice Questions for Merge Sort

Which design strategy does merge sort use?

A. Brute force — try every possible ordering
B. Greedy — always pick the locally best element
C. Divide and conquer — split the list, sort halves, then merge
D. Dynamic programming — store results to avoid repeated work

1 markfoundation

Describe how merge sort works. You should include what happens in both the divide and merge phases.

3 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

Is merge sort a recursive algorithm?

Yes - it calls itself on smaller sub-lists

What technique does merge sort use?

Divide and conquer - splits list in half repeatedly then merges sorted halves

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Sorting Algorithm Flowchart

Deep Dive: Uses of Random Numbers