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game theory

Article

Play to win with Nim

In the game of Nim one player always has a winning strategy — it depends on an unusual way of adding numbers.
Article
wedding rings

Dividing the indivisible

Disputes over property are all too common. It's quite easy to share a cake, but how do you share out indivisible goods, such as houses or cars, without causing resentment? Here are two easy methods.
Article

Struggling with chance

A 1 in 14 million chance to win the lottery, a 5% risk of cancer, a 50:50 chance of heads on a coin — we deal with probabilities all the time, but do they actually mean anything? We explore the philosophy of probability and ask whether the probabilities that come up in physics differ from those in every day life.
Article

Playing games in many worlds - Part I

Would you stake your fortune on a 100 to 1 outsider? Probably not. But what if, somewhere in a parallel universe, the straggling nag does come in first? Would the pleasure you feel in that universe outweigh the pain you feel in the one in which you've lost? Questions not dissimilar to this one occupy physicists and for entirely respectable reasons.
Article

Playing games in many worlds - Part II

In the previous article we explored how a clever argument involving gambling makes the idea that there are parallel universes more credible. But does it really?