well-mixed

Because in what mathematicians call a well-mixed population, where any two individuals meet equally often, cooperators always have a lower fitness than defectors—they’re always less likely to survive.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Keep in mind that structured populations come in an infinitude of shapes and flavors, while the well-mixed population is only one example, and a very particular one at that.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

At the origins of life, it would be much more efficient to plant the seed of cooperation with the help of a “pizza,” surface, or structure of some kind, than in the middle of a well-mixed primordial soup.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Let us consider a well-mixed population, where every player is equally likely to interact with every other.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

A “well-mixed” population is featured in earlier chapters.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

As mentioned before, cooperators always have a lower fitness than defectors in a well-mixed population.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Tonight: Skies gradually clear, but 10-15 mph winds stir the air enough to keep temperatures from getting too chilly (heat can't escape easily in a well-mixed atmosphere).

Forecast: Cool and blustery, but increasing sun Camden Walker 2010

If a mutant has a selective advantage or disadvantage, then there exists a mathematical formula to describe its fixation probability in a well-mixed population.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011

Toss until well-mixed, cover and set aside in a cool place for 30 minutes so the flavors can marry.

John Turturro 2011

As I had mentioned at the start of this chapter, defectors always beat cooperators when they encounter each other in a well-mixed population.

SuperCooperators Martin A. Nowak 2011