OR/MS games 4: The joy of egg-dropping in Braunschweig and Hong Kong

In this discussion we examine the famous 2-egg puzzle from an OR/MS perspective and explore the structure of the optimal policies for this puzzle. It is shown that the puzzle provides a vivid environment for teaching/learning basic concepts related to decision making under uncertainty, including the differences and similarities between the Worst Case and Expected Value scenarios. The more general problem where N test eggs – rather than 2 – are provided is also examined. A number of interactive modules for experimenting with and solving this interesting puzzle are provided. Lecturers teaching dynamic programming (DP) might be interested in using this puzzle to illustrate how DP works and how it can be used to derive closed-form solutions to discrete optimization problems. A reference is provided to a practical real world application of the mathematical model used to analyze and solve the game.