why do (most) dice have the same face placements? As in, why is the 6 usually opposite to the 1, likewise with the 3 and 4? Does this affect the “fairness” of a dice roll, making it a 1/6 chance every roll as opposed to a different value?

Question

why do (most) dice have the same face placements? As in, why is the 6 usually opposite to the 1, likewise with the 3 and 4? Does this affect the “fairness” of a dice roll, making it a 1/6 chance every roll as opposed to a different value?

In: 576

Answer 1

Others have explained why opposite sides add to 7. TL/DR: If the dice are “short” on one side, and/or somebody knows how to blanket roll, then you get a relatively fair outcome.

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**Weird side-note**: There are only two ways to lay out a D6 so that opposite sides add to 7. 6 is on top, 1 on the bottom. 5 is at the front, 2 is at the back, then you can put the 4 on either the right or the left, with the 3 on the opposite side.

As it turns out, the “west” chose to put the 3 on the right, while the “east” chose to put the 4 on the left. If you look at the 4/5/6 vertex, then those numbers will be clockwise (east) or counter-clockwise (west).

I’m not sure if “east” means only China here, or if it’s a larger territory that goes clockwise.