What is a good real-world example of the "prisoner's dilemma" in recent history? What's a real-world example where a person, state, or company had to make a choice between colluding or betraying?
TinderThis has a great example of the Prisoner’s Dilemma. There are essentially two strategies that people use on Tinder:The intended one: swipe left on people you don’t like, swipe right on people you do like. If you trigger a match, contact them with honest intent to dialog.The degenerate one: swipe right on everyone. If you trigger a match, then decide if you like them and want to contact them, or just ignore their messages.The degenerate strategy has the advantage that you don’t spend time evaluating large numbers of people who will only reject you, giving you a better idea of what is available.This creates a Prisoner’s Dilemma between two matched parties as follows:If both players play as intended, neither will know the other’s opinion before making their own decision, and if a match results it will be genuine and should be activated as part of the intended play (mutual cooperation).If both players play degenerate, a potentially meaningless match will be created. However, since both knew they were playing degenerate, they are aware that this match is likely meaningless and are unlikely to set much effort by it (mutual defection).If A plays intended and B plays degenerate, B will get to make their decision with the pre-knowledge that A likes them, which is beneficial to B (temptation to defect). If B does not like them, A will get silence from someone who they believed did like them, which is a negative experience for A (sucker’s payoff).Thus T > C > D > S and a Prisoner’s Dilemma results. Users become sick of unactivated matches in which they had investment, and so switch to the degenerate strategy. This generates more unactivated matches for others and creates a snowball effect.There is a slight exception to this. The reward functions vary heavily based on whether B likes A or not, so if we consider them as a probabilistic averages, then it is clear that the value of the intended strategy for an individual is affected by:the number of other people playing degenerate (the probability that they end up on one of those branches);how “attractive” they are (ie, the probability of others liking them) - since if B like them, they don’t experience S even if B is playing degenerate.So Tinder would work great if it was full of highly desirable people who all played by the rules.As is the case for most dating sites. Sadly, it ain’t so..
Cantor's Disappearing Table?
I'm not sure whether you were told about the problem exactly - not only one divides the table in half, one also removes some fraction of it in each step. I'm referring to Google hit #1, http://www.maa.org/pubs/Calc_articles/ma... You are right that if one only cut the table, its volume, mass, anything would stay the same. It would never disappear and neither would mathematics say so. Still, I think that the final claim about the disappearing table is very tricky. That is, if you only make a finite number of cuts, n, then 1 - 1/4 - 1/8 - 1/16 - ... - 1/2^(n+1) = 1/2 + 1/2^(n+1) of the table remains as the total of all the parts. Notice this does NOT have a limit of zero as n approaches infinity, the limit is one half of a table. Therefore, it is essential to allow an infinite number of cuts. The pieces will then have zero length but there will be infinitely many of them. Notice that this is an undefined expression of infinity * 0. In measure theory, the former plus the fact that the parts are separated implies that there is "no" table (it has zero measure) at the end, however, there was more than one half of it all the time before "infinity" (even in terms of measure). When taking physics into account, you are forced to stop somewhere. Thus, the limit can not be applied and you are left with approx. one half of the table, which would you get if you hypothetically counted the molecules forming a border line or the like.
Why can't humans stop cutting down trees?
The forests need to be thinned for healthy growth of the forests. A little more reading about the disasters in the west will help enlighten the dilemma we are facing. By the way, most people live in a home that is built with lumber which are made from trees that were cut down by humans. Other trees that are cut down are orchards that have done their production cycle and removed to plant new trees. Trees need to be removed that are a danger to buildings that have over grown.
What are some tips for wiping your butt clean, specifically if it's quite hairy?
The main problem with hair in your behind is that feces get mixed with particles of toilet paper. Urban Dictionary (I beg your pardon!), describes this "condition" as bum crumb. Funny as it sounds, its not a laughing matter and can be a pain hygienically and literally. Here is my take on this dilemma. A detailed answer for your genuine problem. Hope this helps!I am certain we all agree that nothing cleans better than water. No matter how much deodorant, dry shampoo, talcum powder (in hair... yes! people do that), and hand sanitizer we subject our bodies to, NOTHING beats the squeaky clean feel of H20. Then why my friend should we not use the same for every time we tinkle or the "other stuff"? Once you use water there is NO going back to tissue alone. I kid you not! Now the legitimate question arises...How exactly can you use water? 1) Jumping into the shower: EVERY TIME nature calls you cannot jump into the shower; Also, its the place you sometimes indulge in bubble baths! (STRIKE 1). 2) Installing what everyone is raving about: A Bidet (wikipedia.org) (wikipedia.org)..of course, its going cost you, you might have to fiddle with your plumbing and MAYBE remodel your bathroom. However, you cannot fully control your cleaning experience with this equipment. (That's STRIKE 2, folks!).3) Baby wet wipes anyone? But wait-a-minute, are these innocent cottony wipes flush-able? I think not! move over (STRIKE 3, All out).When all fails, just use the LOTA. (disclaimer: not promoting anything religious, just want to clean our acts!). What's that you ask? A pot with an elongated nozzle that holds water (which you can easily fill beforehand or afterwards) that can help you wash to your heart's content. Just pour the water, use your hands to wash up, wipe dry with tissue (MINIMUM AMOUNT REQUIRED), wash your hands thoroughly (which you anyways do... right?) and viola! The price for cleanliness is just under 10 dollars- depending on how "designer" your lota is. :)
Humans are cutting trees down and are causing pollution so how isn't it possible that the level of CO2 isn't increasing?
Whether CO2 is increasing is not in serious dispute. During the 800 years 1000–1800 analysis of Antarctic ice cores from the Law Dome site showed that CO2 remained within 5 ppm of 280 ppm. Today it is at 410 ppm and currently rising at 2.6 ppm a year.Whether CO2 is a pollutant is frequently disputed. On April 2, 2007 the US Supreme Court declared CO2 to be a pollutant. In sufficiently extreme cases the Court will sometimes reverse an earlier decision. So far either this decision hasn’t seemed sufficiently extreme to the present Court, or the opportunity to reverse it has not yet arisen.Whether anything is a pollutant depends on the circumstances. While one doesn’t normally think of water as a pollutant, it is when it’s coming from the apartment above yours.In the case of CO2, in recent decades we’ve been emitting it faster than the biosphere can comfortably handle. Furthermore the rate of increase is itself increasing: half a century ago it was increasing at 0.9 ppm/yr, a rate that is now at 2.6 ppm/yr as I mentioned. Unless something happens to slow that pace down before 2070, half a century hence, it will have reached about 8 ppm/yr.So to whatever extent CO2 was a pollutant in 2007, that extent is likely to be much greater in 2070.Trees are harder to assess because it is very hard to measure how efficiently they sequester carbon. Trees respire (breathe) just like animals, and their “breath” immediately returns about half of the CO2 they draw down by photosynthesis. Furthermore some of the carbon they sequester in the form of carbohydrates much later “leaks” back into the atmosphere in the form of CO2 from decay of vegetable matter and microbial respiration. A very rough estimate by the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center is that land use changes are currently responsible for between 1/7 and 1/10 of what our CO2 emissions add to the atmosphere, and that this fraction is decreasing. So it’s significant, but preventing land use changes isn’t going to solve the main problem of our direct emissions of CO2.
If I'm cooking and I cut a tomato, is there a chance the knife would split an atom while it slices into the tomato to cause a nuclear explosion?
Yes. This happens on a daily basis. Just read the news, listen to the experts. Accidental cook-ware based nuclear explosions are the number one cause of radiation exposure in the US. We get another 20 kiloton blast every week somewhere around the world. This is why it’s imperitive you buy my patented nuke-proof atomic knives. They’re guaranteed to reduce the chance of setting off an atomic fireball in your kitchen. Fear of nuclear kitchen-based accidents has been rampant around the world since the world premiere of Iron Chef Japan in 1945, hosted live in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Fight this fear. While it is true that we may very well one day solve this terrible dilemma, the constant news reports you see about kitchen based atomic detonations are a sign that this will not end unless we advance our technology even further.*This answer is indeed sarcasm. Your cooking expeditions have zero risk of ending in atomic fire. So for all the daredevils that were inspired by my answer to join the extreme sport of live cooking shows, I’m afraid the danger imagined. Martha Stewart is not the harbinger of the apocalypse, and was not involved in the United States nuclear testing program.440 upvotes, 24,000 views.I’m.. shocked? Surprised? Curious how it is people actually really like this answer?I almost feel obligated to follow up with a serious answer with some sound science. Here I am, mocking the idea, using comedy to let people come to the general answer, but the physics behind it goes unspoken. Oh well.. Be sure to read the other answers here (and there are several good ones) for the detailed mechanisms behind why knives don’t split atoms.
What strength of laser would be needed to cut a blade of grass?
I don't believe cutting grass by laser is particularly a good way of going about it. But for the purpose of this question I will approach it with known technology and taking into account efficiency.There are a couple of variables you need to take into to account.The first being wavelength. As grass is green due to the chlorophyll pigments, using a green laser in the (510–570nm) is not going to work. The blades are just going to reflect the light. But as both Chlorophyll A and B have high absorption in the blue part of the spectrum, this is the best place to start. For peak absorption of Chlorophyll A (C.A) you need a laser operating at 410–420nm. And for Chlorophyll B (C.B) around 450–465nm. Now infrared could also do the job, but as they are less efficient when taking into account beam specs and drivers they will be disregarded.Next you have to look at what lasers are actually available.Well, for most applications, laser diodes are more suitable.405nm diodes are close enough to the absorption band of C.A and still hold some absorption for C.B. But the power is limited to 1W.450nm diodes are within range for C.B but lose absorption rapidly for C.A. As 450nm diodes are available up to powers of 7W, the power would be more than adequate to cut a blade of grass relatively quickly under focus.So we have a dilemma, 405nm is more suitable for crossing over the bands for C.A&B but the power is limited.Then we come onto the next variable, beam specifications.The 405nm diode is a single-mode so would be appropriate as it can be focused in tight.In reality though, in order to effortlessly cut through blades of grass you would need at least 10w or more of 435–440nm as this is the crossover point on the graph below. Currently this isn't feasible as the higher power InGaN diodes operate at 445–450nm. They are also multimode.But I think the biggest concern is that the speed in which you would have to cut at would most likely set fire to the grass. The faster you go, the less likely that is. But that means more power. In short, buy a lawnmower.
What are some innovative Diwali decorations?
Decoration on the occasion of Diwali is on the main To-Do lists of many people.After all, Diwali is the time for clearing off the old stuff and gearing for new beginnings and starting afresh. Amidst the busy schedule, it could be tough for you to take time for decoration for Diwali.Moreover, a more crucial dilemma is to decide which decoration ideas to use for Diwali. Keeping in mind the same, I have shortlisted some of the easiest ideas for Diwali decorations for you which will dazzle your Diwali.1. Wall Hangings Diwali DecorationsMaking these wall hangings in your homes can also prove to be an enjoyable DIY Diwali decoration activity. Your kids will love to make this as their art project by drawing patterns and paintings on thick paper which you can paste to a hard cardboard. You can decorate it with lights around it when you hang it on the wall of your living room.2. Decorative Diwali DiyasEven today, the maximum of houses in India use Diyas for decorating their homes and offices. These are often filled with oil/ghee along with a cotton wick to light them up.You can give a different touch to Diyas by being slightly creative and paint them with colors.3. Diwali Rangoli DesignsThis Diwali, use candles and earthen pots (diyas) around your rangoli to complete its design patterns.4. Floating CandlesYou just need to buy those thick candles with a wide base and place them in a water bowl or pot. To further add to the beauty of this innovative decoration idea, add a few flower petals of a rose or any other flower you like.5. Classic Clay HandicraftClay handicraft items can enhance the beauty of your house on Diwali. In fact, these items are not only a unique choice for Diwali decorations but can also act as a fantastic showpiece items post Diwali.More : https://www.livinghours.com/diwa...Happy Diwali !