The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Imagine you had a friend who gave different answers to the same question, depending on how you asked it. “What’s the capital of Peru?” ...

Ever wonder how nodes are incentivized in a blockchain to ensure trust, consensus and cooperation in a system with no central authority? The answer lies in game theory, the mathematical study of ...

Playing with Reality: How Games Shape Our World. By Kelly Clancy. Riverhead Books; 368 pages; $30. Allen Lane; £25 In 1824 Prince Wilhelm of Prussia asked for a demonstration of an elaborate game he ...

Every Friday, A.V. Club staffers kick off the weekend by taking a look at the world of gaming, diving in to the ideas that underpin the hobby we love with a bit of Game Theory. We’ll sound off in the ...

Imagine you had a friend who gave different answers to the same question, depending on how you asked it. “What’s the capital of Peru?” would get one answer, and “Is Lima the capital of Peru?” would ...