People ask this often, usually after the same student is picked twice in a row. The short answer is yes, and you can check it yourself.
How a result is chosen
- Random Number: every number in the range has the same probability.
- Wheel: the winning slice is chosen at random first, with the same probability for every slice. Then the wheel spins to it.
- Animal Race: every racer follows the same random speed rule. The species, colour and shape are only visuals.
- Team Generator: the list is shuffled at random and dealt out into the teams.
The random numbers come from the random number generator built into your browser. No server is involved in the result.
Why one name can come up twice in a row
Random does not mean evenly spread over a few rounds. With 10 names, the chance that the next round repeats the last winner is 1 in 10, so it happens fairly often.
Results only get close to an even spread over many rounds, in the hundreds.
If nobody should be picked twice, tick the option that removes the result from the next round.
How to check for yourself
- Type 4 options into the Wheel.
- Spin 40 times and count how often each option wins.
- Each option should win about 10 times. Being off by a few, say 7 or 13, is normal.
An option that wins 30 times out of 40 would be suspicious. With a truly random tool that almost never happens.
What the tools do not do
- They do not remember past rounds to “make up” for someone who has not won.
- They do not favour any line because of its position in the list.
- They do not send your list anywhere.