ABSTRACT
I nspired by the behavior of mechanical ratchets, Spanish physicist Juan Par-rondo of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid has shown that under precise circumstances games with negative (losing) expectation can be combined to give a winning result. So, losers listen up! Tired of searching for the clouds’ silver linings? It may be the clouds themselves that offer hope. Before looking at Parrondo’s paradox, let’s take a quick look at how ratchets work.
