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classification
Title: Accumulator bug
Type: behavior Stage: resolved
Components: Interpreter Core Versions: Python 3.7, Python 3.6, Python 3.5, Python 2.7
process
Status: closed Resolution: not a bug
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: Nosy List: tim.peters, vicpires
Priority: normal Keywords:

Created on 2018-07-13 16:54 by vicpires, last changed 2022-04-11 14:59 by admin. This issue is now closed.

Messages (3)
msg321623 - (view) Author: Victor Pires (vicpires) Date: 2018-07-13 16:54
A function to return a number from 1 to 5 (inclusive) sometimes returns -1 when called thousands of times.

from random import randint
import sys

def rand5():
    """Returns a random integer from 1 to 5 (inclusive)"""
    r5 = -5 # This *should* accumulate from zero to 24
    for _ in range(4):
        r5 += randint(1, 7)

    for i in range(5):
        if (r5 == -1): # BUG: This should never happen, r5 = [0; 24]
            return r5
        if (r5 in [(i + j*5) for j in range(5)]):
            return (i + 1)


d = {key: 0 for key in range(-1, 6)} # Should only be range(1, 6)...

for _ in range(int(1e6)): # One million
    d[rand5()] += 1

print(sys.version)
for key in d:
    print(key, d[key])



$ python2.7 Bug.py
2.7.12 (default, Dec  4 2017, 14:50:18)
[GCC 5.4.0 20160609]
(0, 0)
(1, 200514)
(2, 200273)
(3, 200689)
(4, 199588)
(5, 198543)
(-1, 393)

$ python3.5 Bug.py
3.5.2 (default, Nov 23 2017, 16:37:01)
[GCC 5.4.0 20160609]
0 0
1 200956
2 200529
3 200017
4 199047
5 199030
-1 421

$ python3.6 Bug.py
3.6.6 |Anaconda, Inc.| (default, Jun 28 2018, 17:14:51)
[GCC 7.2.0]
-1 421
0 0
1 200562
2 202025
3 200116
4 198899
5 197977

$ python3.7 Bug.py
3.7.0 (default, Jun 28 2018, 13:15:42)
[GCC 7.2.0]
-1 433
0 0
1 200039
2 200676
3 200629
4 199322
5 198901
msg321624 - (view) Author: Tim Peters (tim.peters) * (Python committer) Date: 2018-07-13 17:04
?  I expect your code to return -1 about once per 7**4 = 2401 times, which would be about 400 times per million tries, which is what your output shows.

If you start with -5, and randint(1, 7) returns 1 four times in a row, r5 is left at -5 + 4 = -1.
msg321625 - (view) Author: Victor Pires (vicpires) Date: 2018-07-13 17:17
Sorry, you are right
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:59:03adminsetgithub: 78290
2018-07-13 17:17:15vicpiressetstatus: open -> closed
resolution: not a bug
messages: + msg321625

stage: resolved
2018-07-13 17:14:19vicpiressetfiles: - Bug.html
2018-07-13 17:04:13tim.peterssetnosy: + tim.peters
messages: + msg321624
2018-07-13 16:54:10vicpirescreate