Iota and Alpha

Been following the Iota Blockchain, especially as it relates to implementation of smart contracts.   Here a new post.  I note that the post below is quite technical. I mention it here for followers in this space.  For starters on this see my previous post and the Iota.org for more background.  Note also that if randomness is important, and here it is essential, the use of an excellent method of random number generation is necessary.

Alpha: playing with randomness
 By Alon Ga         IOTA    Official IOTA Foundation blog 

If you have been following the Illustrated Introduction to the Tangle series, you might remember a mysterious parameter called α, which affects the level of randomness in the random walk. In this article we will go into the specific way in which α affects tip selection, and mention some issues to consider when writing a software implementation.

Note that this article assumes a basic understanding of how the Tangle is built, and in particular what approvers and cumulative weights are. You should also be comfortable with the exponential function, and have some understanding of probability theory.  ... "