The multiplication game
From MaRDI portal
Abstract: The multiplication game is a two-person game in which each player chooses a positive integer without knowledge of the other player's number. The two numbers are then multiplied together and the first digit of the product determines the winner. Rather than analyzing this game directly, we consider a closely related game in which the players choose positive real numbers between 1 and 10, multiply them together, and move the decimal point, if necessary, so that the result is between 1 and 10. The mixed strategies are probability distributions on this interval, and it is shown that for both players it is optimal to choose their numbers from the Benford distribution. Furthermore, this strategy is optimal for any winning set, and the probability of winning is the Benford measure of the player's winning set. Using these results we prove that the original game in which the players choose integers has a well-defined value and that strategies exist that are arbitrarily close to optimal. Finally, we consider generalizations of the game in which players choose elements from a compact topological group and show that choosing them according to Haar measure is an optimal strategy.
Recommendations
Cited in
(6)- Existence of equilibria in countable games: an algebraic approach
- Optimal strategies for a game on amenable semigroups
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4066665 (Why is no real title available?)
- A basic theory of Benford's law
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1013962 (Why is no real title available?)
- Solving differential game problems using the weighted average non-standard finite difference method
This page was built for publication: The multiplication game
Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q3103354)
