How to deal with variable probabilities?

[mpalmer]

In a lot of projects I'm dealing with outcomes of variable probabilities. Say
A = .3
B = .1
C = .6
Up to now I set up a 100-size array and distribute the values 1-30 = A, 31-40 = B, and 41-100 = C, and then use a random generator to tell me which value should be selected. Is there an easier/more efficient way to do this?

[dpb]

Post by mpalmer
In a lot of projects I'm dealing with outcomes of variable probabilities. Say
A = .3
B = .1
C = .6
Up to now I set up a 100-size array and distribute the values 1-30 =
A, 31-40 = B, and 41-100 = C, and then use a random generator to tell
me which value should be selected. Is there an easier/more efficient
way to do this?

You don't need the ancillary array; simply test against the breakpoints...

It's not totally clear just how this fits into the model; a little
context would likely elicit more explicit coding solution(s).

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[mpalmer]

Ok, I think I see what you mean about not using an array.

For an example, I'm thinking of something like character probabilities in a text. So in a 100-character text, A appears 10x, B 3X, C 1X, etc. I want to generate a random text using these probabilities as a basis.