tations—of communication systems. (Note: Information theory has nothing to do
with library and information science or with information technology.)
In information theory, the term “information” is not used in the traditional sense.
Here it is used to mean a measure of the freedom of choice with which a message is
selected from the set of all possible messages. Because it is possible for a string of non-
sense words and a meaningful sentence to be equivalent with respect to information
content, “information” in this sense takes on a different meaning.
What is game theory?
As the words imply, game theory has to do with the mathematics and logic used in the
analysis of games—or the situations that involve groups with conflicting interests.
Another way to look at a game is as a conflict that involves gains and losses between
two or more opponents who all follow a set of formal rules.
In particular, game theorists study the predicted and actual behavior of individu-
als in specific games, as well as the optimal strategies used in the games. Thus, the
principles of game theory can be applied to games such as cards, checkers, and chess;
or, they can be applied to real-world problems in economics, politics, psychology, and
even warfare. For example, game theory is used to determine optimal policy choices of
presidential candidates, or even to analyze major league baseball salary negotiations.
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APPLIED MATHEMATICS
What is some of the history behind operations research?
I
n the United Kingdom, operations research is known as operational research;
other English-speaking countries most often use the term “operations
research” (OR). The idea of operations research started during World War II,
when military planners in the United States and United Kingdom were searching
for ways to make better decisions in the fields of logistics and training schedules.
Unlike its origins, today’s applications in operations research have little to do
with its traditional sense. In other words, it’s not applied to the battlefield, but to
logistical, scheduling, and other such decisions in industry.