Uncommons Maths is an open-source Java library created by Dan Dyer that provides high-performance pseudorandom number generators (PRNGs), probability distributions, combinatorics tools, and statistical data calculations. It is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 and is designed as a mathematically sound, fast alternative to standard Java math utilities. Core Features
Random Number Generators (RNGs): Includes five distinct, high-performance pseudorandom engines. This includes a fast Java port of the Mersenne Twister algorithm and a highly optimized XORShift implementation for performance-critical tasks.
Probability Distributions: Offers plug-and-play wrappers to easily generate random values fitting Uniform, Normal, Binomial, Poisson, and Exponential distribution models.
Seed Strategies: Provides flexible, pluggable strategies to generate secure seed data for the generators, including pulling data directly from computer entropy (/dev/random) or web services like random.org.
Combinatorics: Features generics-enabled sequence generators capable of calculating advanced permutations and combinations.
Statistics: Features a dedicated statistical dataset class built to quickly calculate descriptive statistics over custom sets of values. Why Developers Use It
Developers typically choose this library over standard Java classes like java.util.Random because it fixes known statistical flaws in standard Java utilities. It also offers a significantly longer period (such as 2199372 to the 19937th power
for the Mersenne Twister), and runs much faster during high-throughput math simulation workloads.
If you are looking for a different “Uncommon Maths,” you might be thinking of Uncommon Maths Academy (a mobile learning application on Google Play focused on student problem-solving) or the Uncommon Schools framework, which uses curriculum systems like Illustrative Math.
Are you planning to use the Java library for a coding project, or were you looking for the educational apps/platforms?
Uncommons Maths – Random number generators, probability distributions, combinatorics and statistics for Java
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