C++ Primer, Fifth Edition

A.3.1. Random Number Distributions

With the exception of the bernouilli_distribution, which always generates type bool, the distribution types are templates. Each of these templates takes a single type parameter that names the result type that the distribution will generate.

The distribution classes differ from other class templates we’ve used in that the distribution types place restrictions on the types we can specify for the template type. Some distribution templates can be used to generate only floating-point numbers; others can be used to generate only integers.

In the following descriptions, we indicate whether a distribution generates floating-point numbers by specifying the type as template_name <RealT>. For these templates, we can use ...