What is the purpose of dividing a math.random by a divisor?

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#1

I was exploring an open-sourced script when I saw this block of code:

CameraShake.OnClientEvent:Connect(function(Param)
	if Param == "Shake" then
		for i = 1,115 do
			local a = math.random(-5,5)/5
			local b = math.random(-5,5)/5
			local c = math.random(-5,5)/5

			char.Humanoid.CameraOffset = Vector3.new(a,b,c)
			wait()
		end
		char.Humanoid.CameraOffset = Vector3.new(0,0,0)
	end
end)

What I’m trying to understand is what is the point of dividing the math.random by 5?

#2

It’s just to allow math.random to give back a decimal number since it can only return whole numbers, unless you give it no arguments, math.random(), which case it gives back a random decimal between 0 and 1

In your case it’s to give a number between -1 and 1 using increments of 0.2, let me give an example

So let’s say math.random(-5,5) gave you -3, it then divides that by 5 to give -0.6, then that pattern is repeated 2 more times for the camera offset.

They probably did it like this because using the returned whole number would cause a huge offset in every direction, they had to limit it somehow

2 Likes
#3

I understood until then that pattern is repeated 2 more times for the camera offset. why will -0.6 cause the pattern to repeat 2 more times?

#4

No I don’t mean that, I meant that math.random(-5,5)/5 is repeated 3 times for 3 variables to then be set to the Camera Offset as a Vector3, it only really applies to your code as it is repeated 3 times

#5

math.random always returns a whole number from the passed range, inorder to get a decimal value we divide it :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: Hope it helped :slight_smile:

#6

Repeating 2 more times means to get 3 different random values if its just ‘a’ , it would only give the same random value