About

Decision fatigue is a psychological phenomenon where the quality of decisions deteriorates after a long session of decision-making. In professional and social environments, this manifests as "analysis paralysis" - the inability to choose a lunch spot, a board game, or a speaking order. The Random Decision Maker solves this by externalizing the choice to a chaotic, yet deterministic, physical system.

Unlike simple random number generators, this tool utilizes a visual physics engine. The brain perceives the gradual deceleration caused by simulated friction as "fairer" than an instant calculation. By observing the wheel pass through options, the user experiences a heightened sense of anticipation and acceptance of the final result. This tool employs high-precision Canvas API rendering to ensure clarity on all devices and uses the Web Audio API for synthesized, latency-free sound effects.

Formulas

The wheel follows a rotational motion model with exponential decay for friction. The angular position θ is updated every frame based on angular velocity ω.

1. Velocity Decay (Friction):

ω_t+1 = ω_t × C_friction

Where C_friction ≈ 0.985

2. Stopping Condition:

IF |ω| < 0.002 → ω = 0

3. Winning Index Calculation:

i = floor360 − θ % 360360 / n

This ensures that the result is strictly tied to the visual simulation, maintaining the illusion of physical weight.

Reference Data

Scenario / Preset	Segment Count (n)	Probability (P)	Typical Use Case
Coin Flip	2	50.0%	Binary decisions (Yes/No, Go/No-Go).
Rock, Paper, Scissors	3	33.3%	Resolving simple disputes.
Standard Dice (d6)	6	16.6%	Board games, gambling emulation.
Magic 8-Ball	20	5.0%	Fortune telling, vague advice.
Alphabet (A-Z)	26	3.8%	Educational tools, scattergories.
Roulette (Zero)	37	2.7%	Casino simulation (European).
Percentage (1-100)	100	1.0%	Percentile generation, stats.
Daily Lunch	Custom	1n	Office logistics, group dining.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. While the animation uses physics equations, the initial force applied to the wheel (the 'throw') is determined by a random seed or your mouse interaction speed. Once the wheel starts spinning, the result is mathematically determined by the friction coefficient, but the starting conditions are sufficiently chaotic to ensure randomness.

Absolutely. The tool uses local browser storage. If you create a custom wheel (e.g., 'Morning Standup Order'), it will remain saved on your device for your next visit unless you clear your browser cache.

This mimics real physics. The "Friction" and "Throw Force" can vary slightly to prevent the wheel from stopping at the exact same rotation point every time, ensuring the distribution of results remains uniform over many spins.

Yes. The tool utilizes the HTML5 Canvas API, which is hardware accelerated. It supports touch events, allowing you to "swipe" the wheel to spin it on smartphones and tablets.