Melvin Dresher
Encyclopedia
Melvin Dresher was a Polish
-born American
mathematician
, notable for developing, with Merrill Flood
, the game theoretical
model of cooperation and conflict known as the Prisoner's Dilemma
while at RAND
in 1950 (Albert W. Tucker
gave the game its prison-sentence interpretation, and thus the name by which it is known today).
Dresher came to the United States
in 1923. He obtained his Ph.D. from Yale University
in 1937; the title of his dissertation was "Multi-Groups: A Generalisation of the Notion of Group." He was the author of numerous RAND
research papers on game theory, and his widely acclaimed The Mathematics of Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications (originally published in 1961 as Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications) continues to be read today.
Dresher's research has been referred to and discussed in a variety of published books, including Prisoner's Dilemma by William Poundstone
and A Beautiful Mind
by Sylvia Nasar
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, notable for developing, with Merrill Flood
Merrill M. Flood
Merrill Meeks Flood was an American mathematician, notable for developing, with Melvin Dresher, the basis of the game theoretical Prisoner's dilemma model of cooperation and conflict while being at RAND in 1950 Merrill Meeks Flood (1908 – 1991) was an American mathematician, notable for...
, the game theoretical
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
model of cooperation and conflict known as the Prisoner's Dilemma
Prisoner's dilemma
The prisoner’s dilemma is a canonical example of a game, analyzed in game theory that shows why two individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest to do so. It was originally framed by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher working at RAND in 1950. Albert W...
while at RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
in 1950 (Albert W. Tucker
Albert W. Tucker
Albert William Tucker was a Canadian-born American mathematician who made important contributions in topology, game theory, and non-linear programming....
gave the game its prison-sentence interpretation, and thus the name by which it is known today).
Dresher came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1923. He obtained his Ph.D. from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1937; the title of his dissertation was "Multi-Groups: A Generalisation of the Notion of Group." He was the author of numerous RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
research papers on game theory, and his widely acclaimed The Mathematics of Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications (originally published in 1961 as Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications) continues to be read today.
Dresher's research has been referred to and discussed in a variety of published books, including Prisoner's Dilemma by William Poundstone
William Poundstone
William Poundstone is an American author, columnist, and skeptic. He has written a number of books including the Big Secrets series and a biography of Carl Sagan...
and A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind (book)
A Beautiful Mind is an unauthorized biography of Nobel Prize-winning economist and mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. by Sylvia Nasar, professor of journalism at Columbia University...
by Sylvia Nasar
Sylvia Nasar
Sylvia Nasar is a German-born American economist and author, best known for her biography of John Forbes Nash, A Beautiful Mind.- Early life and history :...
.
Obituaries
- An obituary appeared in the July 2, 1992 issue of the Palisadian-Post newspaper (Pacific Palisades, California).
- "In Remembrance" appeared in the July 9, 1992 issue of RAND Items (a biweekly publication for employees of RAND).