Zero-sum
For the
X-Files episode, see "
Zero Sum".In
game theory, zero-sum describes a situation in which a participant's gain or loss is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of the other participant(s). It is so named because when the total gains of the participants are added up, and the total losses are subtracted, they will sum to zero.
Chess and
Go are examples of a zero-sum game: it is impossible for both players to win. Zero-sum can be thought of more generally as constant sum where the benefits and losses to all players sum to the same value. Cutting a cake is zero- or constant-sum because taking a larger piece reduces the amount of cake available for others. In contrast, non-zero-sum describes a situation in which the interacting parties' aggregate gains and losses is either less than or more than zero.
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zero-sum game
Noun
1. a game in which the total of all the gains and losses is zero
(hypernym) game
(classification) game theory, theory of games
Zero-sum game
A type of game wherein one player can gain only at the expense of another player.
Zero-sum Game
situation or interaction in which one participant's gains result only from another's equivalent losses (see game theory).
ZERO-SUM GAME
GIOCO A SOMMA ZERO