Lesson from a 20-sided Die
a.k.a. — a convex icosahedron
The Backstory
When it comes to organizing and figuring out what or how something needs done, sometimes the littlest objects provide valuable reminders.
As the winter season was approaching here in Ohio, I dug out the winter coats from the basement. The process continued with the inspection of what I left in the coat from last season… the unopened granola bar I forgot about or the pleasant surprise of a dollar that found its way into a secure, zipped pocket.
Items like polished rocks, coins, and even stress balls can be stored in pockets for a variety of reasons, but sometimes, we don’t recall the intention of why an object got stored in a pocket in the first place, which is where I found the motivation for this story.
In my winter coat pocket, I found that I kept a blue, convex icosahedron or 20-sided die. Huh!?
The Object
I thought to myself… why on earth why would I keep a 20-sided die in my pocket? I don’t even know where I found it. But that line of thinking is what started a flood of wonder.
What are the characteristics of this shape? What is a 20-sided typically used for? Why 20 sides?
I dug into it, and in only a few minutes, I found out that this little die is full of deep meaning.
My first stop in the journey was Wikipedia… a great starting point often with credible references to take research to a deeper level. I found myself wrapped up in the mathematical underworld of Wolfram Alpha to explore the functions and theories of the shape.
Little did I know how much math was involved, and it is waaaay over my head (should I worry that Wolfram Alpha considers this a middle school-level concept?) Ha! It’s a rabbit hole of formulas and theories, but the observational concepts of the shape are perhaps most notable:
- There are 20 equilateral triangles.
- There is perfect symmetry no matter which way you look at it.
- The triangles are pushing outward allowing light that passes through the clear shape to centrally focus on the other side.
What is the origin of the 20-sided die?
At this point, I end up exploring the history of the 20-sided die versus the concepts of the icosahedron shape.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an ancient 20-sided die inscribed with Greek letters dated between 200 B.C to 400 A.D. that was most likely used in role-playing games or RPGs.
A small article in the Examiner from 2012 explores the history of the use of the die in RPGs and that these types of games have been around for thousands of years. But only in recent history has the die become mainstream.
Fascinating! The art of gaming, chance, and creating an element that is both variable and strategic have been challenging human minds for that long… and we are still captivated by this style of game play. Even though this random element has moved to complicated software algorithms, there is still a place for the regular, convex icosahedron in modern RPG and tabletop gaming today… emulating real-life scenarios and testing against various outcomes is human nature and necessary to make informed decisions.
The Lesson
There’s something about chance and strategy that continues to captivate us and encourage us to keep going; to see if there will be a different outcome; to create as many scenarios to prepare for as possible; to reduce our risk.
This idea of playing and not knowing the outcome until we get the point of action creates a level of curiosity — or rush, especially since there is no risk of real harm. I’m sure there are studies out there, but how many times can someone play the game or perform different approaches with variable outcomes until the outcomes can be predicted… or a high-level of certainty or odds of victory are predicted? Or we become bored?
Not only can we learn from the 20-sided die’s shape, but it can also teach us lessons from its purpose.
The take-aways:
- Symmetry, consistency, and parallel construction create solid building blocks for strategy and planning.
- Stop, and move on. Thorough testing is needed for a successful outcome; however, the value return diminishes to nil eventually.
- The human mind is infatuated with chance and unpredictable outcomes.
- Something may not seem perfect at first… not until you study it in-depth. Then, you realize, what you are looking at or have… is perfect.
- Risk can only be reduced; never avoided, if you want to play the game.
I can relate to the 20-sided die’s shape and purpose. It’s this type of thinking that drives my organizational decision making, approach to complex problems, and the ability to find peace in stressful situations. Attacking a problem with the teachings from an icosahedron can be a great weapon for those that strive to see more than its face value.
Oh… and I keep the 20-sided die in my pocket, because I like to fidget… gives my hands something to hold on to like a stress ball.
BONUS… I bet some of you who started to read this thought I’d write this whole story from a gamer’s perspective. It was very tempting.
Written by Shaun Holloway.
