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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. During the Cold War "mutually assured ___" was the deterrence doctrine of the time.

2. What war between the Allied and Axis powers was going on when von Neumann was invited to become part of the Manhattan Project?

3. Game theory involves competitive games between perfectly ____ and opposed players.

4. In prisoner's dilemma, if either criminal confesses before the other the police promise to do what?

5. How old was von Neumann when he was invited to teach a course at Princeton?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where is von Neumann from and why was he considered a child prodigy?

2. Why did Bertrand Russell suggest and believe in the merits of preemptive nuclear war?

3. What is the IAS?

4. How is Kriegspiel different from Chess or Tic-tac-toe?

5. How does von Neumann's game theory relate to economics?

6. Who are Mariette, Marianna, and Klara?

7. What is prisoner's dilemma?

8. Who is Merrill Flood?

9. What kind of studies did RAND conduct?

10. Why was von Neumann considered the "best brain in the world?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

John von Neumann made significant contributions to military technology in connection with nuclear war. Yet as he got older he became pessimistic about the role of technology, especially military technology in modern society. What contributions did von Neumann make in military technology? Why did von Neumann become increasingly pessimistic about such technology in the modern world? Were his concerns valid? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Why are Prisoner's Dilemma, Chicken, Deadlock, and Stag Hunt, all called social dilemmas? Why is the prisoner's dilemma considered the center of gravity for the other three games in relation to pay offs? Be sure to include how switching two of the pay offs in the order of preference helps derive each of the three games from the prisoner's dilemma.

Essay Topic 3

Chicken has two Nash equilibrium points. What are they? Why does an irrational player have an advantage in a game of chicken? Explain the game of chicken in its simplest form on a highway and as Bertrand Russell presented it in relation to nuclear war. Which of the two strategies in the game of chicken has the maximum minimum? How was this strategy used in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 843 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample