One Hundred Prisoners and a Light Bulb
Van Ditmarsch, Hans; Kooi, Barteld
Language: English
Published by Springer, 2015
- Softcover
- New
Seller: Biblios, frankfurt am main, hessen, GermanyBiblios
AbeBooks seller since September 10, 2024
Condition: New
£ 30.85
Quantity: 4 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Seller Inventory # 18372412630
- Title
- One Hundred Prisoners and a Light Bulb
- Author
- Van Ditmarsch, Hans; Kooi, Barteld
- Publisher
- Springer
- Publication year
- 2015
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 331916693X
- ISBN 13
- 9783319166933
- Illustrator
- Elancheziyan
A group of 100 prisoners, all together in the prison dining area, are told that they will be all put in isolation cells and then will be interrogated one by one in a room containing a light with an on/off switch. The prisoners may communicate with one another by toggling the light switch (and that is the only way in which they can communicate). The light is initially switched off. There is no fixed order of interrogation, or interval between interrogations, and the same prisoner may be interrogated again at any stage. When interrogated, a prisoner can either do nothing, or toggle the light switch, or announce that all prisoners have been interrogated. If that announcement is true, the prisoners will (all) be set free, but if it is false, they will all be executed. While still in the dining room, and before the prisoners go to their isolation cells (forever), can the prisoners agree on a protocol that will set them free?
At first glance, this riddle may seem impossible to solve: how can all of the necessary information be transmitted by the prisoners using only a single light bulb? There is indeed a solution, however, and it can be found by reasoning about knowledge.
This book provides a guided tour through eleven classic logic puzzles that are engaging and challenging and often surprising in their solutions. These riddles revolve around the characters’ declarations of knowledge, ignorance, and the appearance that they are contradicting themselves in some way. Each chapter focuses on one puzzle, which the authors break down in order to guide the reader toward the solution.
For general readers and students with little technical knowledge of mathematics, One Hundred Prisoners and a Light Bulb will be an accessible and fun introduction to epistemic logic. Additionally, more advanced students and their teachers will find it to be a valuable reference text for introductory course work and further study.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Hans van Ditmarsch, PhD, is a senior researcher at LORIA, CNRS - Universite de Lorraine.
Barteld Kooi, PhD, is Professor by special appointment of logic and argumentation theory at the University of Groningen.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Biblios
frankfurt am main, hessen, Germany
AbeBooks seller since September 10, 2024
Shipping rates from Germany to U.S.A.
| Item | 25 to 45 business days | 8 to 14 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 8.53 | £ 16.04 |
Payment methods
Store description
Specialty
new books imported from india, uk, usaSeller's business information
Readingos GmbH
Kaiserstraße 47
Frankfurt am Main, Germany 60329
Terms of sale
We ship from Frankfurt
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Biblios, frankfurt am main, Germany, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.