Figure 2. Description of the rand function.

Returns a pseudo-random integral number in the range 0 to RAND_MAX.

This number is generated by an algorithm that returns a sequence of apparently non-related numbers each time it is called. This algorithm uses a seed to generate the series, which should be initialized to some distinctive value using srand.

RAND_MAX is a constant defined in <cstdlib>. Its default value may vary between implementations but it is granted to be at least 32767.

A typical way to generate pseudo-random numbers in a determined range using rand is to use the modulo of the returned value by the range span and add the initial value of the range:

( value % 100 ) is in the range 0 to 99
( value % 100 + 1 ) is in the range 1 to 100
( value % 30 + 1985 ) is in the range 1985 to 2014

Notice though that this modulo operation does not generate a truly uniformly distributed random number in the span (since in most cases lower numbers are slightly more likely), but it is generally a good approximation for short spans.