01 October 2006

Nontransitive dice

Dig this crazy math.
The game involves four specially numbered dice. You let your opponent pick any one of the four dice. You choose one of the remaining three dice. Each player tosses his or her die, and the higher number wins the throw. Amazingly, in a game involving 10 or more throws, you will nearly always have more wins.

You can then invite your opponent to pick a different die, perhaps even the one that worked so well for you. You select one of the remaining dice. Again, in a game of at least 10 throws, you're very likely to come out the winner.

Indeed, it doesn't matter which die your opponent picks.

There has got to be some cool application for these dice, but I cannot think of what it could possibly be.

1 comment:

d a r k c h i l d e said...

I bet I could make some money in a bar from members of the XY species who are drinking... :0)