Question

Joshua, Omar, and Brendan are roommates who need to contribute to the internet bill. Joshua ideally wants to contribute 20, but he would prefer to contribute 60 instead of 0 to avoid dealing with lag. Omar wants each roommate to contribute 60 to the internet bill because he hates poor wifi connectivity. His utility declines as the roommates decrease the amount they spend. Brendan, on the other hand, doesn't care about the internet and is on a tight budget. He prefers not to contribute any money to the internet, and his utility declines as the roommates increase the amount they spend. What is the ideal amount of money each roommate should contribute to the internet bill?

1) 20
2) 60
3) 0
4) Cannot be determined from the given information

Answer 1

Without additional information regarding the roommate's utilities and negotiation outcomes, the ideal contribution to the internet bill cannot be determined.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ideal amount each roommate should contribute to the internet bill cannot be determined from the given information due to the differing preferences and financial situations of Joshua, Omar, and Brendan. To solve this issue, they must engage in negotiation or utility analysis to find a contribution that maximizes overall satisfaction, considering Joshua's tolerance range for contribution, Omar's preference for high-quality internet, and Brendan's budget constraints. A common approach might involve finding a compromise that balances the utilities of all three roommates by assigning a weight to the intensity of each roommate's preferences or some other method of utility quantification.