This applet was prepared for a talk ("Using Game Theory to get a Date") at the 2008 Miami University Mathematics and Statistics Conference, and also given at the 2009 Joint Mathematical meetings in Washington, D.C.

Every day, Ann arrives home from work at some (random) time A between 4:00 and 5:00, and goes out to eat at 5:00. Bill and Carl would both like to take Ann to dinner, but both of their cell phone batteries are nearly dead, with enough power for only one call.

If Bill calls at time B and Carl calls at time C, Bill gets the date if either A<B<C or C<A<B. (If both B and C are less than A, everyone dines alone.) What calling strategy should Bill use to maximize his chance of getting a date (regardless of Carl's choice of calling time)?

What happens if a third suitor (David) begins to call, unbeknownst to Bill and Carl?

The applet below allows a simulation of this "game," with varying "strategies"—random calling times—for Bill and Carl (and, optionally, David). The distribution of Ann's arrival time can also be changed.

Note: This applet has been tested under several browser configurations; it works correctly most of the time, but fails if the Java installation is not up-to-date. (Go to javatester.org to see what version you have, and to [optionally] update your installation.)