A statistical mechanical analysis on the possibility of achieving fair cylindrical dice

Abstract

Many have dedicated their time trying to determine the ideal conditions for a cylinder to have equal probabilities of falling with one of its faces facing upwards or on its side. However, to this day, there is no concrete analysis of what these conditions should be. In order to determine such circumstances, a theoretical analysis was conducted, considering approaches from Rigid Body Dynamics and Statistical Mechanics. An experimental system was also built to improve control over the launches, and a comparative analysis was performed between the results obtained experimentally and the theory. It was concluded that the environment and other launching conditions have a significant influence; nevertheless, it is possible, under controlled conditions, to determine, within certain limits, the expected probabilities.

Keywords

• Statistical Mechanics
• Cylindrical Dice
• Low cost experiments
• Active learning
• Scientific Olympiads