States of play

摘要

Life is full of events that are basically games, from paying for a meal to bidding in an auction. Can incorporating a quantum strategy into the rule book increase your chances of winning? The year is 2015. Representatives from the world's leading defence firms are gathered in a high-security room at the Pentagon. Each is seated facing a screened-off console. Together, they are bidding in an auction that will allocate the various contracts for a $100-billion project to develop a new breed of fighter aircraft. But this is no ordinary auction — it is designed to ensure that the companies bidding will collectively offer the US government the lowest price for the whole project.