Ulam's game, or the Rényi–Ulam game, is a mathematical game similar to the popular game of
twenty questions. In Ulam's game, a player attempts to guess an unnamed object or number by asking
yes–no questions of another, but ''one'' of the answers given may be a lie.
introduced the game in a 1961 paper, based on Hungary's
Bar Kokhba game, but the paper was overlooked for many years.
rediscovered the game, presenting the idea that there are a million objects and the answer to one question can be wrong, and considered the minimum number of questions required, and the strategy that should be adopted.
gave a survey of similar games and their relation to
information theory
Information theory is the scientific study of the quantification (science), quantification, computer data storage, storage, and telecommunication, communication of information. The field was originally established by the works of Harry Nyquist a ...
.
See also
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Knights and Knaves
References
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{{mathematics-stub
Mathematical games
Information theory
Guessing games