Salem witches – a math puzzle
[update 7-1]: I'm on vacation...will be back with posts the week of the 12th! I came across a fun math puzzle that's relates to the game theory of guessing. The puzzle was posted by James Grime, a mathematician who has posted some nice videos under the name singingbanana. Let's get right into it. The puzzle I've transcribed the puzzle ...

Game theory and the Golden Rule
There's a nice game theory cartoon over at Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal The cartoon is very well done, though I must address a common misunderstanding. The Golden Rule is not opposed but rather entirely compatible with game theory. In fact, the golden rule emerges naturally as a strong strategy in the repeated ...

NASCAR game of chicken
I know very little about NASCAR, so I defer to Advanced NFL stats which has a great piece on NASCAR and game theory I loved reading about the strategy of the race, particularly about the decision to make a risky pass against an opponent versus defending position by threatening a wreck. ...

Why I would rather watch the end of a close soccer match than a close basketball game
Close soccer matches are usually interesting. Teams are pressing on offense or locking down on defense. There's a lot of chaos and intense energy. This is less so in close basketball games. Usually teams are deliberate on offense and defense, stalling with fouls and timeouts. The pace is maddeningly sluggish. In ...

The weirdest soccer match and game theory
Yesterday I wrote about a weird World Cup game where nobody tried to score. There is amazingly an even weirder game on record. The infamous game is about a team advancing in a tournament by scoring an own goal. In the 1994 Shell Caribbean Cup, Barbados needed two clear goals to advance ...

Game theory in practice: scheduling the FIFA World Cup group stage
The 2010 World Cup is on and occupying more of my time than I'd like to admit. The first part is my favorite segment of the tournament. There are always quality matches, and every game affects a teams chance to advance. In case you're unfamiliar, the first part is known as the ...

The game theory of online sarcasm and jokes
In college I would occasionally share edgy jokes to the dorm email list. One day, I asked if anyone minded them. I got a reply like this: "The jokes are so offensive. Please stop hurting my weak, delicate feelings." At first I brushed it off. I knew this person and he hated ...

A simple math puzzle about dice probability
I love reading about probability puzzles: even the easiest puzzles can take a moment to figure out exactly what is going on. The book Luck, Logic, and White Lies starts out with a fun little puzzle about dice throwing: With a pair of dice, one can throw the sum 10 either as ...

The St. Petersburg Paradox: a flimsy critique of expectation theory by people who don’t know math or economics
As someone who uses math and economics for a living, I come across many opposing arguments. There are always people who wish to prove to me economics is fundamentally flawed. My first encounter of this type came after my freshman year of study at Stanford. I was sharing some economics ideas ...

The lying down game – video
This isn't about game theory, but I thought it was hilarious and wanted to pass it along. Enjoy Lying down game Youtube video