Octave - random generate number

Question

I have a simple question about randomly generating numbers in Octave/Matlab.

How do I randomly generate a (one!) number (that is either 0 or 1)?

I could really use an example.

Thanx

Answer 1

Use rand, which generates a uniform pseudo-random number in the range 0..1, and then test this value against a suitable threshold, e.g. 0.5 for equal probability of 1 or 0:

r = rand > 0.5