Lectures on the Theory of Games (AM-37)

Harold W. Kuhn

Published by Princeton University Press 2003

Lectures on the Theory of Games (AM-37)

Harold W. Kuhn

Volume 37 in the series Annals of Mathematics Studies

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400829569

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book is a spectacular introduction to the modern mathematical discipline known as the Theory of Games. Harold Kuhn first presented these lectures at Princeton University in 1952. They succinctly convey the essence of the theory, in part through the prism of the most exciting developments at its frontiers half a century ago. Kuhn devotes considerable space to topics that, while not strictly the subject matter of game theory, are firmly bound to it. These are taken mainly from the geometry of convex sets and the theory of probability distributions.

The book opens by addressing "matrix games," a name first introduced in these lectures as an abbreviation for two-person, zero-sum games in normal form with a finite number of pure strategies. It continues with a treatment of games in extensive form, using a model introduced by the author in 1950 that quickly supplanted von Neumann and Morgenstern's cumbersome approach. A final section deals with games that have an infinite number of pure strategies for the two players.

Throughout, the theory is generously illustrated with examples, and exercises test the reader's understanding. A historical note caps off each chapter. For readers familiar with the calculus and with elementary matrix theory or vector analysis, this book offers an indispensable store of vital insights on a subject whose importance has only grown with the years.

Author / Editor information

Harold W. Kuhn is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Princeton University. Joint winner of the 1980 von Neumann Prize in Theory, he is internationally known for co-authoring a paper that initiated the theory of "nonlinear programming." Kuhn is the editor or coeditor of several books (all Princeton), including The Essential John Nash, Classics in Game Theory, Linear Inequalities and Related Systems, and Contributions to the Theory of Games, I and II.

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Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Author’s Note Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Chapter 1. What Is the Theory of Games? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 2. Matrix Games Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	5
Chapter 3. Extensive Games Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	59
Chapter 4. Infinite Games Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	105

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