Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2004/ib/paper-3/12g/solution

Let be player two's mixed strategy in Rock paper scissors. The respective expected payoffs from choosing rock, scissors and paper are , and . Thus player two solves the linear programming problem
A linear objective on this probability simplex is maximized by a largest-payoff pure response, or by any mixture of tied maximizers. Scissors is never a maximizing response: rock exceeds it by one. Comparing the other two gives according as . Therefore
The optimal expected payoff is below the tie and above it, with value at the tie.

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