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Can you solve Dongle's Difficult Dilemma? - Dennis E. Shasha

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TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

According to legend, three galactic terraformers shaped your planet into a paradise. When their work was done, they left the source of their power behind: three golden hexagons, hidden in dungeons full of traps and monsters. If one person were to bring all three together, they could reinvent the world however they saw fit. Can you collect the hexagons before your rival? Dennis E. Shasha shows how.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

There are books on both auction theory that discuss how to avoid collusion and ensure some notion of fairness to both the bidders and the sellers. As for settings in which one wants to take advantage of some opponent, there is the beautiful field of algorithmic game theory.

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About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Dennis Shasha
  • Director Igor Coric, Artrake Studio
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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