Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/iii/paper-40/5/b/solution

In an ideal continuous-price English auction, staying active until one's private valuation is optimal: dropping earlier can forgo positive surplus, while staying later risks paying more than the car is worth. The highest-valued buyer therefore wins, paying the price at which the other buyer drops out, namely .
For , independence gives . Integrating this tail probability gives
“Pays his bid” in this ascending auction does not mean that the winning buyer pays his full valuation; the competing buyer's dropout determines the winning price.

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