Reasons for using the set.seed function?

Question

Many times I have seen the `set.seed` function in R, before starting the program. I know it's basically used for the random number generation. Is there any specific need to set this?

Answer 1

Depending on the programming language, if the seed for the random number generator is not specifically set, it may default to some predetermined value. That means that if you are using such a language (not certain if R is one of them), the 'random' numbers created would be the exact same every time you execute the program. That's why it's always good practice to set the seed every time regardless of the language used.