Dreidel Fairness Study

TL;DR

This study tests the fairness of different dreidels by spinning them hundreds of times, revealing that all tested dreidels are biased, which could impact the fairness of traditional games and celebrations.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that common dreidels are biased, challenging assumptions of fairness in traditional spinning games.

Findings

All three dreidels tested were biased.

Some sides of each dreidel appeared significantly more often.

Biases could influence game fairness and cultural practices.

Abstract

Are dreidels fair? In other words, does the average dreidel have an equal chance of turning up any one of its four sides? To explore this hypothesis, three different dreidels were each spun hundreds of times with the number of occurrences of each side recorded. It was found that all three dreidels tested -- a cheap plastic dreidel, an old wooden dreidel, and a dreidel that came embossed with a picture of Santa Claus -- were not fair. Statistically, for each dreidel, some sides came up significantly more often than others. Although an unfair dreidel does not necessarily make the game itself unfair, it is conjectured that hundreds of pounds of chocolate have been distributed during Chanukah under false pretenses.