80 replies to this topic

[Oblivion]

What would be nice would be to turn the question into more of an anthropology compete/cooperate question. For example,

During a P/K confrontation, there is an 80% chance the Killer will survive and the Pacifist dies, 9% chance no outcome, 10% chance Pacifist kills Killer, 1% chance a P/K alliance forms, effectively creating a new entity that has different characteristics of interaction with other entities.
During a P/P confrontation, there is a 10% chance an alliance will form, effectively unifying the P/P pair into a new P with greater chances of survival in a P/K confrontation, 90% chance no outcome
During a K/K confrontation, there is a 50% chance one will die, a 40% chance no outcome, a 10% chance a K/K alliance forms, effectively making a new K with more successful victory chances in any confrontation

Also add that the chance of an encounter increases by some factor as population increases.

Let us also assume that confrontations are over resources, so we also add that at any encounter there is a probability P1 of a confrontation, which is variable depending on how each side perceives availability of resources. The larger the total population, the less available resources seem.

of some kind and as the population increases the chances of confrontation increase because of relative resource scarcity, conversely for population decreases.

Let's also throw in that all alliances have a inherent stability, where at each moment in time there is a probability of dissolution. P/P alliances are stronger than P/K alliances.

Let's also note that alliances can expand, eg: a P/P alliance meets a new P, thus forming a P/P/P alliance, with yet further enhanced characteristics.

Let's also add the rule that alliances can create technology, effectively increasing perceived availability of resources. Also, the rule that the longer an alliance is in existence the better technology it has. The technology is measured in an alliance as some recorded 'quantity', and the more of it the more the alliance perceives resources as available. Also, the more it has, the better chances it has of surviving a confrontation.

Now, what do you want to be? a P or a K?

Intuitively I'd guess that P-type alliances will triumph with oscillations in amount of K membership.

Edited by Oblivion, 06 March 2008 - 01:31 PM.

[kiger]

kk im going k.
p + p = 9/20 chances to live.
p + k = 10/20
9-10=-1 lifes

k+p= 10/20 live
k+k= 9/20 deaths

10-9= +1 lives
Kiger

Edited by kiger, 08 March 2008 - 05:15 AM.

[elderw]

I personally thought what no one else thought why dont whoever wants to stay alive leave? it is so much more sensible then they could go to liike peaceville and btw this isn't a joke

[HDL13]

Truthfully it really doesnt matter because no matter if you are a pacifist or a killer you die. My advice get out of Killville.

[Chubstick23]

You live in Killville - a town populated by 10 killers and 10 pacifists.

When a pacifist meets a pacifist, nothing happens.
When a pacifist meets a killer, the pacifist is killed.
When two killers meet, both die.

Assume meetings always occur between exactly two persons
and the pairs involved are completely random.

Are your odds of survival better if you are a killer? or a pacifist?
Or does it matter?

Spoiler for hint

Regardless of whether you are a pacifist or a killer,
you may disregard all events in which a pacifist other than yourself is involved
and consider only events in which you are killed
or a pair of killers other than yourself is killed.

pacifist because killer+killer=2 died population down pacifist+killer=1 died poulation down by 1 pacifist+pacifist=no one dies
answer=PACIFIST

[ALFRED]

bona - your puzzles are usually so well written and easy to interpret. This one was slightly ambiguous which threw me off. Regardless, I liked it a lot.

[Talha]

Spoiler for answer

odds of survival are better if u are a killer coz then there are 9 killers and 10 pacifists

[TOPHAT]

be a pacifist and let the killers kill themselves

[Aunt Minta]

Assuming that all meetings are truly random, it is most likely that everyone dies (including you) with an even number of both groups. While it would be possible for the killers to all kill themselves off and leave 1+ pacifists behind, it's not very likely. Out of the 4 meeting types (PP, PK, KP, KK), two kill pacifists only one kills killers. Mathematically, it looks like a Pacifist should be better off in even numbers, but I have run through a couple of random scenarios that take the population decreases into account, and every time the score ends 0-0. So it would seem to me that moving is your best option to survive if the numbers are even. I don't think that probabilites/statistics type math tells the whole story due to the population decreases over time. Of course, an odd number of killers is a horse of a different color, it's better to be a killer in that scenario, because killer deaths always occur evenly, so there will be a murderous survivor with the town to himself.

[Ciahra]

Of course, an odd number of killers is a horse of a different color, it's better to be a killer in that scenario, because killer deaths always occur evenly, so there will be a murderous survivor with the town to himself.

you're right up until that sentence. the odds will fluctuate with the decrease in population to favor either side, but will eventually end up at 50% each again. as there will never be an odd number of killers, there will not be a murderous survivor. they'll kill each other