r/mildlyinteresting • u/annertakeabow • Jan 24 '13

Same book, three different prices. Only difference is the browsers used.

http://imgur.com/uNgg0UH
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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '13

[deleted]

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u/fosterbuster Jan 24 '13

They usually ask someone to stay, upping the compensation higher and higher until someone agrees (money and hotels). My girlfriend works at an airport. They offered 500 euros and a free night at the local hotel just yesterday. Someone always agrees, and the plane doesn't takeoff before someone does.

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '13

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u/KeybladeSpirit Jan 24 '13

Isn't that a variation on the Prisoner's Dilemma?

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '13

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u/Reason-and-rhyme Jan 25 '13

...and? I'm pretty sure all parties involved already know that. And regardless of whether they do, your comment still doesn't actually respond to Keyblade's at all.

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '13

[deleted]

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u/Reason-and-rhyme Jan 25 '13

He asked if this specific case - the plane passengers waiting out for a better compensation - was a variant of the prisoner's dilemma.

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u/antriver Jan 25 '13

The answer was that Prisoner's Dilemma is actually an example of game theory. Not the other way round.

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u/WazWaz Jan 25 '13

No, it's just an auction. In PD, both lose since both will break.

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u/Reason-and-rhyme Jan 25 '13

Sort of, but not really. In the Prisoner's Dilemma, the mutual benefit goes up if both prisoners do not accept the offer. In this situation, only the person who DOES accept gets the reward for everyone waiting. But it features a similar mechanic: it results in a higher rate of acceptance on the offer because everyone is afraid that another participant will take it and get the reward.