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BGonline.org Forums
Data
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Data (Bob Koca)
Date: Thursday, 25 August 2016, at 12:44 a.m.
P40 declines to share the raw data on its testing of rounded backgammon dice...my guess is a) they don't want to offend their dice sources; b) they don't want to waste time defending their methods of sampling; c) they don't want to come across as people who are critical of other companies, and d) it is there contention that it is "common knowledge" that the rounded dice are not truly precision, random dice and even the manufacturers don't make that claim.
They simply are saying that if one of the arguments against electronic dice generators is that they are possibly not as random as physical dice, that is not necessarily a valid argument, as the physical dice are not truly random and from die to die physical dice will have different biases depending on their imperfections. That will not be the case with the generator. Also, if the generator keeps a record of its rolls, one can easily test to see if it is providing a "fair" roll over a long period of time.
P40 is not on a campaign to discredit backgammon dice or backgammon dice manufacturers...just simply stating the facts about the dice. And these are facts that are new to me. I didn't know that rounded dice are not really "precision" dice, but they are made from what was precision dice and they were made less precise by cutting off the corners. In spite of that, the way we roll the dice currently it might be more fair to have the rounded corners than true precision dice. But in the long run, it may prove that electronic dice is the best way to be sure of true, random dice for backgammon. Time will tell as we get more evidence about the electronic dice.
In any event, it comforts me to know that the people who are making the new dice generating app are very interested in making sure their dice are truly random and are taking the time to study all the options.
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