Skip to main content
Log in

A New Approach to Gal’s Theory of Search Games on Weakly Eulerian Networks

  • Published:
Dynamic Games and Applications Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A network is called weakly Eulerian if it consists of a finite number of disjoint Eulerian networks which are connected in a tree-like fashion. S. Gal and others developed a theory of (zero-sum) hide-and-seek games on such networks. The minimax search time for a network is called its search value. A network is called simply searchable if its search value is half the minimum time to tour it. A celebrated result of Gal is that a network is simply searchable if and only if it is weakly Eulerian. This expository article presents a new approach to the Gal theory, based on ideas borrowed from the author’s recent extension of Gal’s theory to networks which can be searched at speeds depending on the location and direction in the network. Most of the proofs are new.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alpern S (2010) Search games on trees with asymmetric travel times. SIAM J Control Optim 48:5547–5563

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Alpern S (2010) A search game model of optimal foraging on a network. LSE operational research working paper series, LSEOR 10.124

  3. Alpern S, Find-and-fetch search on a tree. Oper Res (to appear)

  4. Alpern S, Lidbetter T (2010) Searching a variable speed network. London School of Economics Operational Research Working Papers, LSE WP 10-129

  5. Alpern S, Gal S (1988) A mixed strategy minimax theorem without compactness. SIAM J Control Optim 26:1357–1361

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Alpern S, Gal S (2003) The theory of search games and rendezvous. Kluwer international series in operations research and management sciences. Kluwer Academic, Boston, p 319

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Alpern S, Howard JV (2000) Alternating search at two locations. Dyn Control 10(4):319–339

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. Dagan A, Gal S (2008) Network search games, with arbitrary searcher starting point. Networks 52(3):156–161

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Gal S (1979) Search games with mobile and immobile hider. SIAM J Control Optim 17:99–122

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. Gal S (1980) Search games. Academic Press, New York

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Gal S (2000) On the optimality of a simple strategy for searching graphs. Int J Game Theory 29:533–542

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  12. Garnaev A (2000) Search games and other applications of game theory. Lecture notes in economics and mathematical systems, vol 485. Springer, Berlin

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  13. Isaacs R (1965) Differential games. Wiley, New York

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  14. Kikuta K (1995) A search game with travelling cost on a tree. J Oper Res Soc Jpn 38(1):70–88

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  15. Kikuta K, Ruckle W (1994) Initial point search on weighted trees. Nav Res Logist 41(6):821–831

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  16. Pavlovic L (1995) A search game on the union of graphs with immobile hider. Nav Res Logist 42(8):1177–1199

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Reijnierse JH, Potter JAM (1993) Search games with immobile hider. Int J Game Theory 21:385–394

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Steve Alpern.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alpern, S. A New Approach to Gal’s Theory of Search Games on Weakly Eulerian Networks. Dyn Games Appl 1, 209–219 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13235-011-0009-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13235-011-0009-4

Keywords

Navigation