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[irmo]

I think we can assume that pirate #1 will go "Oh hey, I be the only one left. All for me, and screw yer democracy, ye drunken hallucination. Ye don't get a vote."

Sure, and I assume the pirates would agree to a plan that gives everyone a share. But by a strict reading of the rules they can't do that.

[ed boy]

Apologies. In the event that there is only one pirate left, he just takes all the dubloons for himself.

[ed boy]

On the pirate question, it helps to think inductively.
Let us use the following notation:
(a,b,c,...)
where a is the numbe of dubloons for pirate 1, b is the number for pirate 2, etc.

If there is only 1 pirate, he takes all the dubloons.
(100)

If there are two pirates, then pirate 2 has to propose a plan. If pirate 2 offers pirate 1 anything less than 100 dubloons, pirate 1 will vote no, kill pirate 2, and keep the dubloons. Therefore, if there are only two pirates, pirate 1 will end up with all the dubloons, and both pirates will remain alive.
(100,0)

If there are three pirates, then pirate 3 needs to propose a plan. He wants to surivive, so he wants to get two votes from the other two pirates. The only such plan he can come up with is to give pirate 1 all the dubloons. If either of the pirates vote no, then they end up in the two-pirates position, where 1 gets everything and 2 gets nothing. Both the pirates will therefore vote yes.
(100,0,0)

If there are four pirates, then pirate 4 needs to get at least two votes. Pirates 2 and 3 would get nothing in the 3-pirate situation, so he doesn't need to offer them anything to get their vote. he can keep the rest of the dubloons to himself.
(0,0,0,100)

In all subsequent numbers of pirates, if there are N pirates, pirate N can keep all the dubloons to themselves as they will have N-2 votes from the pirates would would get nothing anyway if they voted no.

That is what would happen if the pirates vote yes whenever voting yes or no has the same outcome for them. What would happen if they were to vote no is that situation?

[Earthquake Damage]

What would happen if they were to vote no is that situation?

They wouldn't, because their first priority is survival.

[ed boy]

Their first priority is their own survival. Their new thought process would be as such:
-If voting one way would result in their death and voting the other would not, they will vote to avoid dying
-Otherwise, they will vote in the way that maximizes the number of dubloons they get
-If both options offer the same number of dubloons, they vote no

[Earthquake Damage]

Their first priority is their own survival. Their new thought process would be as such:
-If voting one way would result in their death and voting the other would not, they will vote to avoid dying
-Otherwise, they will vote in the way that maximizes the number of dubloons they get
-If both options offer the same number of dubloons, they vote no

On pirate N's turn, pirate N-1 will vote yes.  Why?  Because if pirate N dies, it becomes N-1's turn.  And so forth.  By voting no when they will neither win any doubloons or die in that round, they ensure their deaths in future rounds.

[ed boy]

They consider more than the current round when they make their voting decision.

Try starting with the single pirate case and working your way up.

[Earthquake Damage]

They consider more than the current round when they make their voting decision.

Try starting with the single pirate case and working your way up.

Please explain, then, why they would all suicidally vote no.  I'd love to hear how that either ensures their survival (it doesn't, except for pirate 1) or maximizes their piece of the pie (it doesn't, except for pirate 1).

[Sowelu]

If there are four pirates, then pirate 4 needs to get at least two votes. Pirates 2 and 3 would get nothing in the 3-pirate situation, so he doesn't need to offer them anything to get their vote. he can keep the rest of the dubloons to himself.
(0,0,0,100)

In all subsequent numbers of pirates, if there are N pirates, pirate N can keep all the dubloons to themselves as they will have N-2 votes from the pirates would would get nothing anyway if they voted no.

Let's say N=5, and pirate N wants to keep all the cash.  Pirate 1 always votes no, because if he can kill off everyone else, he gets all the cash himself.  N=2 and N=3 know they will never get anything, so they always vote yes. N=4 knows that if N=5 bites the dust, HE gets all the money.  So, pirate 5 must give all his money to pirates 1 or 4 to survive.

Actually, no.  Pirate 1 knows that he never gets any money either, doesn't he?  Because it'll never go past the N=3 case.

[ed boy]

They consider more than the current round when they make their voting decision.

Try starting with the single pirate case and working your way up.

Please explain, then, why they would all suicidally vote no.

I mae no such claim.

[Strife26]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The answer is a number, but it's more than that. It has length. This length isn't one measured in meters. There's a metric measurement for it, but it's only used going down. Going up, the standard unit is abandoned. There's something that comes after the number, but it's neither number nor English. When the something after is written, it's rarely written fully. Of course, some want to change the something after to something else, something more (or less) correct and in English. Some want it in front too, for whatever reason.


Now this number, has many things found within it. It's where half of my name is found. It's where cloaks and 16 tomes of magic spells came into my closet. Elegantly bound books. It's where I got more than Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. The river of red came up very high and magic was found in England. Landmines were bad, either a bird or a dinosaur flew for the first time, and there was a big death and also a royal one. Bloop.

There's a song, a book, an event, a weapon, a treaty, two deaths, a movie, a sound, and a game there.

It's neither 13 nor 7, but one is a fourth of the way correct. The other is closer, and half of it is a fourth of the way to correct.

[ed boy]

Am I right in thinking that it is an eight digit number with 135 in it somewhere?

[Strife26]

You would be incorrect in that assumption. It is not an eight digit number.



A third of 135 is a fourth of the way right though.

[Heliogabalus]

1745 AD

[Caesar]

Pi?