game theory

Table of Contents

Introduction
Classification of games
One-person games
Two-person constant-sum games
- Games of perfect information
- Games of imperfect information
- Mixed strategies and the minimax theorem
- Utility theory
Two-person variable-sum games
- Cooperative versus noncooperative games
- The Nash solution
- The prisoner’s dilemma
  - Theory of moves
  - Biological applications
N-person games
- Sequential and simultaneous truels
- Power in voting: the paradox of the chair’s position
- The von Neumann–Morgenstern theory
- The Banzhaf value in voting games

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

See how game theory applies to the peacock's tail evolution

For Students

game theory summary

Discover

Pluto. The Changing Faces of Pluto. Most detailed view to date of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, as constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken from 2002 to 2003.

10 Important Dates in Pluto History

Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin, and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest emergence of cicadas anywhere

Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?

Still from the film Deliverance, 1919. The story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. View shows Keller in the cockpit/front seat of an airplane.

How Did Helen Keller Fly a Plane?

How Is Coffee Decaffeinated?

VAN, TURKEY - OCTOBER 25: A building and car ruined during the earthquake of Van-Ercis on October 25, 2011 in Van, Turkey. It is 604 killed and 4152 injured in Van-Ercis Earthquake.

What Is an Aftershock?

United States Electoral College votes by state

How Many Electoral College Votes Does Each U.S. State Have?

Adolf Hitler (Nazi, nazism, German leader).

9 Things You Might Not Know About Adolf Hitler

Science & Tech

game theory

mathematics

Written by Steven J. Brams, Morton D. DavisSee All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 8, 2024 • Article History

payoff matrix with saddlepoint

See all media

Category: Science & Tech

Key People:: John von Neumann; William Riker; Thomas C. Schelling; John Nash; Lloyd Shapley

Related Topics:: incentive compatibility; positive-sum game; prisoner’s dilemma; finite game; von Neumann-Morgenstern theory

On the Web:: Carnegie Mellon University - School of Computer Science - Introduction to Game Theory (Mar. 28, 2024)

See all related content →

Recent News

Apr. 5, 2024, 4:59 AM ET (Tech Xplore)

Game theory research shows AI can evolve into more selfish or cooperative personalities

game theory, branch of applied mathematics that provides tools for analyzing situations in which parties, called players, make decisions that are interdependent. This interdependence causes each player to consider the other player’s possible decisions, or strategies, in formulating strategy. A solution to a game describes the optimal decisions of the players, who may have similar, opposed, or mixed interests, and the outcomes that may result from these decisions. Although game theory can be and has been used to analyze parlour games, its applications are much broader. In fact, game theory was originally developed by the Hungarian-born American mathematician John von ...(100 of 9719 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.