Praised by Entertainment Weekly as “the man who put the fizz into physics," Dr. Len Fisher turns his attention to the science of cooperation in his lively and thought-provoking book. Fisher shows how the modern science of game theory has helped biologists to understand the evolution of cooperation in nature, and investigates how we might apply those lessons to our own society. In a series of experiments that take him from the polite confines of an...

This book represents the earliest clear, detailed, precise exposition of the central ideas and results of game theory and related decision-making models - unencumbered by technical mathematical details. It offers a comprehensive, time-tested conceptual introduction, with a social science orientation, to a complex of ideas related to game theory including decision theory, modern utility theory, the theory of statistical decisions, and the theory of...

When J. D. Williams wrote this entertaining, witty introduction for the nonscientist, Game Theory was still a somewhat mysterious subject familiar to very few scientists beyond those researchers, like himself, working for the military. Now, over thirty years after its original publication as a Rand Corporation research study, his light-hearted though thoroughly effective primer is the recognized classic introduction to an increasingly applicable discipline....

Offering classroom-proven results, Differential Topology presents an introduction to point set topology via a naive version of nearness space. Its treatment encompasses a general study of surgery, laying a solid foundation for further study and greatly simplifying the classification of surfaces. This self-contained treatment features 88 helpful illustrations. Its subjects include topological spaces and properties, some advanced calculus, differentiable...

This first course in differential geometry presents the fundamentals of the metric differential geometry of curves and surfaces in a Euclidean space of three dimensions. Written by an outstanding teacher and mathematician, it explains the material in the most effective way, using vector notation and technique. It also provides an introduction to the study of Riemannian geometry. Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, the text...

Twelve essays take a playful approach to the subject, exploring how to play poker over the telephone without the possibility of cheating, how to distinguish plausible fallacies from unbelievable facts, and how to cope mathematically with contorted worms, drunken tennis players, and snakes that eat their own tails. Former columnist for Scientific American's "Mathematical Games" section, Ian Stewart is a professor at the University of Warwick and the...

The Mathematical Theory of Games Sheds Light On A Wide Range of Competitive Activities What do chess-playing computer programs, biological evolution, competitive sports, gambling, alternative voting systems, public auctions, corporate globalization, and class warfare have in common? All are manifestations of a new paradigm in scientific thinking, which James Case calls "the emerging science of competition." Drawing in part on the pioneering work...

One of the classic early monographs on game theory, this comprehensive overview illustrates the theory's applications to situations involving conflicts of interest, including economic, social, political, and military contexts. Contents include a survey of rectangular games; a method of approximating the value of a game; games in extensive form and those with infinite strategies; distribution functions; Stieltjes integrals; the fundamental theorem...

N-person game theory provides a logical framework for analyzing contests in which there are more than two players or sets of conflicting interests-anything from a hand of poker to the tangled web of international relations. In this sequel to his Two-Person Game Theory, Dr. Rapoport provides a fascinating and lucid introduction to the theory, geared towards readers with little mathematical background but with an appetite for rigorous analysis. Following...

Mathematics is an indispensable tool for life. From the systems that underpin our newsfeeds, through to the data analysis that informs our health and financial decisions, to the algorithms that power how we search online – mathematics is at the heart of how our modern world functions. In 20 dip-in lessons, Understanding Numbers explains how and why mathematics fuels your world and arms you with the knowledge to make wiser choices in all areas of...