this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2024
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I think the D120 is the maximum possible isohedral (geometrically symmetric) fair die. A golf ball is probably pretty close to fair, though number 327 seems like it might be more difficult to balance than 12, 20, 30, or 60.
I'm just seeing a pattern here, but shouldn't you be able to go to 240? I mean, it'd have to be a big fuckin' die, but it seems like it should work.
Not really. The faces of the D120 are already asymmetric (scalene) triangles. There's no way to split these into additional faces while keeping them all the same shape.
Any larger geometrically fair die would have to be from an infinite family (prisms, bipyramids, and trapezohedra), which are "impractical in reality due to the tendency to roll for a long time".
A tendency to roll for a long time would be true for any many-sided die, no? I can't imagine the 120 stopping quickly either.
Yes, but since faces are essentially distributed over a cylinder, rather than a sphere, it is more of an issue.
Ah yeah, that's a good point