English

Lexicographically maximal edges of dual hypergraphs and Nash-solvability of tight game forms

Combinatorics 2023-06-20 v2

Abstract

Let A={A1,,Am}\mathcal{A} = \{A_1, \ldots, A_m\} and B={B1,,Bn}\mathcal{B} = \{B_1, \ldots, B_n\} be a pair of dual multi-hypergraphs on the common ground set O={o1,,ok}O = \{o_1, \ldots, o_k\}. Note that each of them may have embedded or equal edges. An edge is called containment minimal (or just minimal, for short) if it is not a strict superset of another edge. Yet, equal minimal edges may exist. By duality, (i) ABA \cap B \neq \emptyset for every pair AAA \in \mathcal{A} and BBB \in \mathcal{B}; (ii) if AA is minimal then for every oAo \in A there exists a BBB \in \mathcal{B} such that AB={o}A \cap B = \{o\}. We will extend claim (ii) as follows. A linear order \succ over OO defines a unique lexicographic order L\succ_L over the 2O2^O. Let AA be a lexicographically maximal (lexmax) edge of A\mathcal{A}. Then, (iii) AA is minimal and for every oAo \in A there exists a minimal BBB \in \mathcal{B} such that AB={o}A \cap B = \{o\} and ooo \succeq o' for each oBo' \in B. This property has important applications in game theory implying Nash-solvability of tight game forms as shown in the old (1975 and 1989) work of the first author. Here we give a new, very short, proof of (iii). Edges AA and BB mentioned in (iii) can be found out in polynomial time. This is trivial if A\mathcal{A} and B\mathcal{B} are given explicitly. Yet, it is true even if only A\mathcal{A} is given, and not explicitly, but by a polynomial containment oracle, which for a subset OAOO_A \subseteq O answers in polynomial time whether OAO_A contains an edge of A\mathcal{A}.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2204.10213,
  title  = {Lexicographically maximal edges of dual hypergraphs and Nash-solvability of tight game forms},
  author = {Vladimir Gurvich and Mariya Naumova},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2204.10213},
  year   = {2023}
}

Comments

arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2108.05469