# Random not working
**URL:** https://discourse.processing.org/t/random-not-working/838
**Category:** Beginners
**Created:** [June 10, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/random-not-working/838 "2018-06-10T13:42:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pootis](https://discourse.processing.org/u/pootis)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/random-not-working/838/1 "2018-06-10T13:42:51Z")
im trying to get a ball to spawn on one of three heights: 100, 200 and 300. i set the random to produce a number from 1 to 3. when the outcome is 1 the height is 100, when it’s 2 the height is 200 and when it’s 3 the height is 300. somehow the outcome is always 0 and the ball spawns on height 300. i also tried to use a string for the random to select the number from, didn’t work either.
```auto
void setup() {
size(600,400) ;
background(10, 80, 100);
}
int ballX = 300;
float ballY2 = random(1,3);
int ballY;
void draw() {
background(10, 80, 100);
noStroke();
fill(229,79,79);
ellipse(ballX,ballY,50,50);
if (ballY2 <1); {
ballY = 102;
} if (ballY2 <2); {
ballY = 202;
} if (ballY2 <3); {
ballY = 302;
}
}{
print (ballY2);}
```
---
### Author:  [@WakeMeAtThree](https://discourse.processing.org/u/WakeMeAtThree)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/random-not-working/838/2 "2018-06-10T13:59:32Z")
In your if statements, `ballY2 < 3` will always be true because of the way you set it up. Any random number you generate using random(1,3) will be less than 3, and will make `ballY = 302;`
An alternative approach would be to define your height choices into an array, and make the `random()` generate the random index instead. `random(3)` will generate any float number between 0 and 3, so using `floor` would round down to one of three options: 0, 1, 2.
```java
int ballX = 300;
int[] heightOptions = {100,200,300};
int ballY = heightOptions[floor(random(3))];
```
This is more readable and less error prone, and enables you to define more options easily instead of writing multiple ifs.
---
### Author:  [@GoToLoop](https://discourse.processing.org/u/GoToLoop)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/random-not-working/838/3 "2018-06-10T18:05:20Z")
`ballY2 = (int) random(1, 4) * 100 + 2;`
---
### Author:  [@pootis](https://discourse.processing.org/u/pootis)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/random-not-working/838/4 "2018-06-10T20:08:51Z")
Thanks, helped a lot!