Coin toss assignment [Function Help]

[Torm04]

Hello, I was assigned this program that flips a coin a number of times and displays how many times heads was flipped and how many times tails was flipped.
I finished the program itself, the only problem is that I need to add a function into my program. I am having a hard time understanding the functions and I was wondering if I could get some help from you guys on adding one to this code.

Here is the code..

 #include <iostream>
#include <cstdio>          
#include <cstdlib>    
#include <ctime>
using namespace std;
	
	int randNum(); //Prototype Function for the Random Number Generator.

int main() 
{
int flip, tosses, x; 
int heads = 0;
int tails = 0; 
	cout << "How many times would you like to toss the coin?" << endl;
		cin >> tosses;
	
		srand(time(0)); //Initializes random number seed.
	
	randNum();

	cout << "-In " << tosses << " tosses. There were " << heads << " heads and " << tails << " tails.-";
	return 0;
}

	int randNum() {
	for (x = 0; x < tosses; x++) {
		flip = rand() % 2 + 1;

		if (flip == 2) {
			heads++;
		}
		else  {
			tails++;
		}
	}
}

As you can see, I already tried adding a function. It is not turning out so well.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Torm04

[keskiverto]

You have to use parameters to pass info into/out of function. See http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/functions/

[Callum5042]

Looking at your code, you have your tosses undefined in randNum(). Use a parameter to pass your tosses into your function.

int randNum(int tosses);

int main()
{
    randNum(tosses);
}

Also you need to return the values of your head and tails.

[jasonwynn10]

you realize that this number is not completely random, if you run three flips, it always turns out 1 head 2 tails.

[keskiverto]

it always turns out 1 head 2 tails.

No.

It is true that rand() is a pseudo-random generator and as such returns values from predetermined sequence. However, the call to srand() changes the position within the sequence and thus the question is how the value returned by time(0) does change.

[Torm04]

Hello, I still seem to be having a problem. I am just simply trying to call a function that will ask the number of times you want the coin to be flipped and then it returns that value. I must not be doing correctly. Here is the code.

#include <iostream>
#include <cstdio>          
#include <cstdlib>    
#include <ctime>
using namespace std;
	


int main() 
{
int flip, t, x; 
int heads = 0;
int tails = 0; 
int tosses();

				tosses(t);
	
		srand(time(0)); //Initializes random number seed.
	
		for (x = 0; x < t; x++) {
		flip = rand() % 2 + 1;

		if (flip == 2) {
			heads++;
		}
		else  {
			tails++;
		}
	}

	cout << "-In " << t << " tosses. There were " << heads << " heads and " << tails << " tails.-";
	return 0;
}

int tosses(int t) {
	cout << "How many times would you like to toss the coin?" << endl;
		cin >> t;
		return t;
}

Thanks,

Torm04

[tony2481]

First you need to declare the function "tosses" outside of the function main with the appropriate parameters.

Ex:

int tosses (int& ) //This needs to be outside the function main 

[jasonwynn10]

why do you have to use two functions? you could just replace line 16 with 36 and 37.
Code EX:

#include <iostream>
#include <cstdio>          
#include <cstdlib>    
#include <ctime>
using namespace std;
int main() 
{
int flip, t, x; 
int heads = 0;
int tails = 0; 
	cout << "How many times would you like to toss the coin?" << endl;
	cin >> t;
		srand(time(0)); //Initializes random number seed.
	        	for (x = 0; x < t; x++){flip = rand() % 2 + 1;
                        if(flip == 2){heads++;}else{tails++;}}
cout<<"-In "<<t<<" tosses. There were "<<heads<<" heads and "<<tails<<" tails.-";
return 0;}