Diagramming Complex Linear Games

[HBaxter]

I am Re-Posting this. My previous post got pinned to the example question I referenced. My question is regarding complex games in general and how we should best carry the diagram from question to question.

What is the best strategy for moving from question to question when your diagram and inferences become very detailed and complicated? I know that we should create a new diagram for each question. How much detail should we copy over to the new diagram?

When the initial diagram is very detailed, with many fixed points and inferences, what is the best way to recreate that for each question? If I create a new blank diagram and rely on looking back at the detailed one for the rules and inferences, it seems like I have a high chance of missing something. If I'm copying all that detail over and over, it seems like that is increasing my margin for error. Should I draw a new diagram of only the open spots? That seems like a lot to think through. If I draw a detailed diagram in pen and answer the questions in pencil, I lose all my data from question to question.

What is the best option for using the least amount of time while reducing my margin for error from question to question when the initial diagram has so much information? My preference would be to use a transparent sticky note over the initial diagram for each new question, but I doubt the test proctors would approve that method for the actual test!

[Adam Tyson]

In general, HBaxter, when I create a local diagram, I think of it as a rough draft. I usually don't copy the labels like the numbers along the base of a linear game, and I don't copy over the not-laws. I start by filling in whatever the local restriction told me to do, plus everything that is always true based on the original diagram. Then, I see what new inferences arise from that combination, because it's almost always those inferences that are being tested.

Do NOT draw on the main diagram! As you said, that means you then have to erase, and you lose the benefit of having that local diagram around for later reference.

I understand your concern about missing something, but the solution for that is to be careful and move slowly and methodically. Your main diagram, even if it's very full, should still be clear and easy to read. If not, that's a problem with the main diagram, not a problem with your approach to the local question, and you should consider what you could have done differently to make that main diagram easier to read at a glance.