One of life's great challenges is dividing things up fairly. From sharing a tasty treat to dividing resources between countries, strategies for doing so can make everyone a little happier.
But things get complicated when what you're sharing isn't an indistinguishable substance — say, the cake you're sharing has a cherry on it, and the part with the cherry (or the part of the coastline that's rich in fish) might be more desirable. Fortunately, mathematics, and in particular game theory, which deals with the strategies and decisions people make when interacting, offers some ideas.
When split between two parties, the following may occur:
Source: www.newscientist.com
