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The Number Picker Wheel is a random number generator you can watch. Set a minimum and maximum, spin, and the wheel lands on one number from your range. You can step by an interval, leave out numbers you do not want, or switch to Random digits and build a longer number one spin at a time.
It is free, needs no sign-up and runs entirely in your browser, which makes it a quick fit for classroom games, turn order, maths practice and anything else that needs a fair number.
What is a number picker wheel?
A number picker wheel puts every number in your range on its own slice and spins to choose one. The result is the same as a random number generator, but everyone can see the full range and watch the pick happen.
That visibility is why it works so well for classrooms and games. Players can check their number is on the wheel, and nobody has to trust a number that simply appears on a screen.
Two modes: a range or random digits
Choose Number from a range to pick one number between a minimum and a maximum, or Random digits to build a number by spinning each digit separately.
Number from a range
- Minimum and Maximum set the ends of the range, and both are included. Negative numbers work too.
- Interval sets the step. An interval of 5 from 0 to 100 gives 0, 5, 10 and so on up to 100: 21 numbers.
- Exclude removes specific numbers. Type them separated by commas, for example 7, 13, 42.
The wheel can hold up to 1,000 numbers. Large ranges show thin slices without labels, but every number keeps the same chance.
Random digits
Choose how many digits you want, from 1 to 8. The wheel shows 0 to 9 and spins once for each digit, then shows the combined number along with the digits spun. Each spin is shortened so a long number does not take ages. Leading zeros are kept, so a 3-digit result can be 042, just like a combination lock or a PIN code.
How to pick a random number
Set the range, check the wheel, then spin.
- Pick the mode at the top of the Entries tab.
- Enter Minimum and Maximum, plus an Interval or numbers to Exclude if you need them.
- Click the wheel, press SPIN or use Ctrl + Enter.
- Use the result window to Spin again, Remove from wheel or Copy the number.
The numbers also appear in the entries box, one per line, so you can add or delete individual numbers by hand. Changing the range rebuilds the list from your settings, and Reset returns to the default 1 to 10.
Drawing numbers without repeats
Switch to Elimination mode in Settings and each number is removed from the wheel once it is drawn, so it cannot come up again.
This is what you want for calling on every student number once, setting a turn order or working through a numbered list of questions. For example, set 1 to 30 for a class of 30, then spin and call each number in turn. The Results tab keeps every number drawn, in order, and Copy results puts the full list on your clipboard for sharing with the group.
To pick six different numbers from 1 to 49, set the range, turn on Elimination and spin six times.
How random is the number picker?
Every number on the wheel has exactly the same chance. Between 1 and 100, each number has a 1% chance; between 1 and 10, each has a 10% chance.
The result is drawn with the browser's cryptographic random number generator before the wheel starts turning, then the wheel spins to land inside that slice. In Random digits mode each digit is an independent 1 in 10 draw, so every 3-digit result from 000 to 999 is equally likely: 1 in 1,000.
You can make some numbers more likely on purpose by turning on Weights in Settings and writing an entry as 3.7, which gives the number 7 three times the chance of the others. Leave Weights off for a fair draw.
Wheel vs dice and plain random number generators
Dice are limited to fixed ranges such as 1 to 6 or 1 to 20, and a plain random number generator gives a number with no sense of occasion. A number wheel covers any range and makes the draw something people can watch together.
- Any range: 1 to 6, 1 to 500, or -10 to 10.
- Skips: leave out numbers already used or unlucky numbers.
- No repeats: Elimination mode works like drawing balls without putting them back.
- A record: the Results tab logs every draw with the time.
Ways to use a random number wheel
- Social media giveaways: number the entrants and spin to pick the winner.
- Turn order: Elimination mode with one number per player, so everyone gets a unique place.
- Classrooms: pick a question number, a page, a seat or a student number.
- Maths practice: random numbers for times tables, rounding or place value; Random digits is great for building numbers to read aloud.
- Games: turn order, a random level or a dice substitute for any number of sides.
- Decisions: choose how many reps, minutes or rounds.
Saving, sharing and privacy
Press Save wheel to keep a range, such as your class roll numbers, under My saved wheels. The share icon copies a link with your exact range and settings, and the embed icon gives code for placing the wheel on a website or LMS.
Use the full screen icon for a live draw on a projector or stream. Nothing is uploaded; your numbers and results are stored only in your browser.