Related papers: Markov models for the tipsy cop and robber game on…

We consider a Cops-and-Robber game played on the subsets of an $n$-set. The robber starts at the full set; the cops start at the empty set. On each turn, the robber moves down one level by discarding an element, and each cop moves up one…

The problem of structure estimation in graphical models with latent variables is considered. We characterize conditions for tractable graph estimation and develop efficient methods with provable guarantees. We consider models where the…

The game of Cops and Robbers is an important model for studying computational queries in pursuit-evasion environments, among others. As recent logical explorations have shown, its structure exhibits appealing analogies with modal logic. In…

In late May of 2014 I received an email from a colleague introducing to me a non-transitive game developed by Walter Penney. This paper explores this probability game from the perspective of a coin tossing game, and further discusses some…

We consider a restless multi-armed bandit (RMAB) in which there are two types of arms, say A and B. Each arm can be in one of two states, say $0$ or $1.$ Playing a type A arm brings it to state $0$ with probability one and not playing it…

We consider a game in which a cop searches for a moving robber on a graph using distance probes, which is a slight variation on one introduced by Seager. Carragher, Choi, Delcourt, Erickson and West showed that for any n-vertex graph $G$…

Flip a coin repeatedly, and stop whenever you want. Your payoff is the proportion of heads, and you wish to maximize this payoff in expectation. This so-called Chow-Robbins game is amenable to computer analysis, but while simple-minded…

We analyze the dynamics of a population of independent random walkers on a graph and develop a simple model of epidemic spreading. We assume that each walker visits independently the nodes of a finite ergodic graph in a discrete-time…

This paper studies a stochastic robotic surveillance problem where a mobile robot moves randomly on a graph to capture a potential intruder that strategically attacks a location on the graph. The intruder is assumed to be omniscient: it…

We consider concurrent games played on graphs. At every round of a game, each player simultaneously and independently selects a move; the moves jointly determine the transition to a successor state. Two basic objectives are the safety…

We consider multi-player stopping games in continuous time. Unlike Dynkin games, in our games the payoff of each player is revealed after all the players stop. Moreover, each player can adjust her own stopping strategy by observing other…

We study the localization game on dense random graphs. In this game, a {\em cop} $x$ tries to locate a {\em robber} $y$ by asking for the graph distance of $y$ from every vertex in a sequence of sets $W_1,W_2,\ldots,W_\ell$. We prove high…

Given a set of snapshots from a temporal network we develop, analyze, and experimentally validate a so-called network interpolation scheme. Our method allows us to build a plausible, albeit random, sequence of graphs that transition between…

We introduce a deterministic analogue of Markov chains that we call the hunger game. Like rotor-routing, the hunger game deterministically mimics the behavior of both recurrent Markov chains and absorbing Markov chains. In the case of…

The dynamics in games involving multiple players, who adaptively learn from their past experience, is not yet well understood. We analyzed a class of stochastic games with Markov strategies in which players choose their actions…

Mohar recently adapted the classical game of Cops and Robber from graphs to metric spaces, thereby unifying previously studied pursuit-evasion games. He conjectured that finitely many cops can win on any compact geodesic metric space, and…

In the game of cops and robber, the cops try to capture a robber moving on the vertices of the graph. The minimum number of cops required to win on a given graph $G$ is called the cop number of $G$. The biggest open conjecture in this area…

We introduce a simplified model for platform game levels with falling platforms based on interval graphs and show that solvability of such levels corresponds to finding Steiner cycles or Steiner paths in the corresponding graphs. Linear…

Our research is closely related to ontological studies in mathematics. It provides crucial insights into the nature of decisions and strategies characterized by Markov moments. In a stopping game, a holistic decision-maker would evaluate…

In this paper, the notions of {\em trapping} and {\em confining} the robber on a graph are introduced. We present some structural necessary conditions for graphs $G$ not containing the path on $k$ vertices (referred to as $P_k$-free graphs)…