How random is dice tossing?

Abstract

Tossing the dice is commonly considered a paradigm for chance. But where in the process of throwing a cube does the randomness reside? After all, for all practical purposes the motion is described by the laws of deterministic classical mechanics. Therefore the undisputed status of dice as random number generators calls for a careful analysis. This paper is an attempt in that direction. As a simplified model of a dice a barbell with two marked masses at its tips and only two final positions is considered. It is shown how, depending on initial conditions and the degree of dissipation during bounces, the outcome is only more or less unpredictable: the system is not truly random but pseudorandom-even under conditions where it appears to be random.