Quantum computing.(quantum mechanics in game theory)(Brief Article)

Economist (US), The, February, 1999

Playing games

IT COULD be a Star Trek episode, but it is actually a paper in Physical Review Letters. As usual, a calamity is about to befall the starship Enterprise and Captain Picard has grimly begun to prepare for the worst. Suddenly, Q, an irreverent, all-powerful being who has been a source of endless exasperation to the crew, appears on the bridge offering to save the ship if Picard can beat him at a simple game.

Picard is to place a coin in a box, heads up. Q then gets a turn at either flipping it, or leaving it alone. Picard, without knowing what Q has done, gets to do the same, then Q goes again. After Q's second turn, they open the box. If the coin is heads up, Q wins. If tails are up, Picard wins.

Luckily, training for starship...

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