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Another Thing Puzzles Me
Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:36 pm
by Chuck Jackson
How did they decide what numbers would be where on a dart board? I'm stumped.
Chuck
Re: Another Thing Puzzles Me
Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:49 pm
by Uncle Buck
An excerpt from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darts" target="_blank
"The standard numbering plan with a 20 on top was created in 1896 by a Lancashire carpenter called Brian Gamlin. However, a great many other configurations have been used throughout the years and in different geographical locations. Gamlin's layout was devised to penalise inaccuracy. Although this applies to most of the board, the left-hand side (near the 14 section) is preferred by beginners, for its concentration of larger numbers. Mathematically, removing the rotational symmetry by placing the "20" at the top, there are 19!, or 121,645,100,408,832,000 possible dartboards. Many different layouts would penalise a player more than the current setup; however, the current setup actually does the job rather efficiently. There have been several mathematical papers published that consider the "optimal" dartboard."
Re: Another Thing Puzzles Me
Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 12:56 pm
by Kevin Hendrick
Should've known it was more than just an "objet d'art" ...
