mid-squaren.adj.
/ˌmɪdˈskwɛː/, U.S. /ˈmɪdˈskwɛ(ə)r/ Mathematics.
A. n.
An intermediate square (see quot. 1923). rare.
ΚΠ
1923 Amer. Math. Monthly 30 122 The midpoints of the sides of a skewsquare [sc. a plane quadrilateral in which two diagonals are perpendicular and equal to each other] form a square (called the midsquare).
B. adj.
Designating a method of generating a pseudorandom sequence of digits by squaring an arbitrary large number, taking the middle digits of the result (usually half the total number of digits, a zero being added at the left if necessary to make the total even), and using these as the first digits of the sequence and as the number to be squared to provide the next digits, and so on.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > numerical arrangement > [adjective] > of sets > of sequences
mid-square1951
1951 Appl. Math. Ser. National Bureau of Standards (U.S.) 12 33 (heading) The mid-square method of generating digits.
1968 P. A. P. Moran Introd. Probability Theory i. 46 The midsquare method has, however, been shown to be unsatisfactory.
1980 C. S. French Computer Sci. xliv. 343 Mid-square method. (Simple but has faults.) Successive numbers are obtained by squaring and extracting the middle digits.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2002; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1923