Case 432
Each team minimised its own cost
each_team_minimised_its_own_cost.eml - Four teams, four correct decisions, one total. Whether the total is the smallest available is computed below.
ok: true — round-trip fixpoint reached (python1 == python2)updated 2026-08-18
EML
eml# Self-authored for the EML case corpus (no external origin). Four teams, four
# correct decisions, one total. Whether the total is the smallest available is
# computed below.
#
# Each team did the arithmetic properly. Each compared the options in front of
# it, picked the cheapest for the budget it is accountable for, and can produce
# the spreadsheet. Nobody was lazy and nobody was empire-building.
#
# A local minimum is a minimum over the options one team can choose between.
# Some of the cost of a choice lands on a different team, and that part is not
# in the spreadsheet - not because it was hidden, but because it is not a
# number that team is given.
#
# Both totals are computed from the same option table.
# [team, option, cost to this team, cost to everyone else]
[["ingest", "batch hourly", 10, 0], ["ingest", "stream", 25, 0]] => ingest_opts
[["store", "compress", 8, 12], ["store", "raw", 20, 0]] => store_opts
[["serve", "cache 24h", 5, 18], ["serve", "cache 1h", 14, 3]] => serve_opts
[["report", "nightly rebuild", 6, 9], ["report", "incremental", 22, 0]] => report_opts
def local_pick(opts):
0 => bi
opts[0][2] => best
1 => i
for o in opts:
if o[2] < best:
o[2] => best
i - 1 => bi
i + 1 => i
return bi
def global_pick(opts):
0 => bi
opts[0][2] + opts[0][3] => best
1 => i
for o in opts:
if o[2] + o[3] < best:
o[2] + o[3] => best
i - 1 => bi
i + 1 => i
return bi
[ingest_opts, store_opts, serve_opts, report_opts] => teams
"team local choice cost here cost elsewhere total" ^0
0 => local_total
0 => local_here
for t in teams:
local_pick(t) => k
t[k] => o
local_total + o[2] + o[3] => local_total
local_here + o[2] => local_here
" " + o[0] + " " + o[1] + " " + str(o[2]) + " " + str(o[3]) + " " + str(o[2] + o[3]) ^0
" total " + str(local_total) ^0
"" ^0
"team total-cost choice cost here cost elsewhere total" ^0
0 => global_total
0 => global_here
for t in teams:
global_pick(t) => k
t[k] => o
global_total + o[2] + o[3] => global_total
global_here + o[2] => global_here
" " + o[0] + " " + o[1] + " " + str(o[2]) + " " + str(o[3]) + " " + str(o[2] + o[3]) ^0
" total " + str(global_total) ^0
"" ^0
if global_total < local_total:
"choosing on the total costs " + str(local_total - global_total) + " less than four correct local choices" ^0
elif global_total == local_total:
"the two totals are equal, so the local choices were already optimal" ^0
else:
"the local choices came out cheaper on the total, which cannot happen" ^0
"" ^0
# ---- who pays for the better total ----
#
# The saving is not free to everybody. It is paid by the teams whose own line
# goes up, and that is the reason the local choice is stable.
"what changes for each team's own budget" ^0
0 => worse_off
for t in teams:
local_pick(t) => lk
global_pick(t) => gk
if not (lk == gk):
t[lk][2] => was
t[gk][2] => now
" " + t[0][0] + " : " + str(was) + " to " + str(now) ^0
if now > was:
worse_off + 1 => worse_off
if worse_off > 0:
" team budgets that go up : " + str(worse_off) + ", and each is measured on that line" ^0
" the total falls anyway, because the increase is smaller than what it saves" ^0
"" ^0
"the two totals, by whose budget they land in" ^0
" local choices : " + str(local_here) + " on the deciding teams, " + str(local_total - local_here) + " elsewhere" ^0
" total choices : " + str(global_here) + " on the deciding teams, " + str(global_total - global_here) + " elsewhere" ^0
if global_here > local_here:
" the deciding teams pay " + str(global_here - local_here) + " more to save " + str(local_total - global_total) + " overall" ^0
"" ^0
# ---- what each team can see ----
"the number each team is given" ^0
" its own line : yes" ^0
" the other line : no, it is a different team's budget" ^0
" a team choosing on what it can see chooses the left column every time," ^0
" and being given the second number is the whole intervention" ^0
"" ^0
# ---- the control: a team whose choice has no external cost ----
#
# Where every option costs nothing to anyone else, the local minimum is the
# global one and no coordination is needed.
0 => i_local
0 => i_global
local_pick(ingest_opts) => il
global_pick(ingest_opts) => ig
ingest_opts[il][2] + ingest_opts[il][3] => i_local
ingest_opts[ig][2] + ingest_opts[ig][3] => i_global
"control - the ingest team, whose options cost nobody else anything" ^0
" local choice total : " + str(i_local) + ", total-cost choice : " + str(i_global) ^0
if i_local == i_global:
" the same option under both rules, so this team cannot show the gap" ^0
"" ^0
"Each team compared its options correctly and picked the cheapest. The" ^0
"cheapest of what a team is shown is a different quantity from the cheapest" ^0
"available, and the difference is the column nobody hands them." ^0Python (deterministic transpilation)
pythoningest_opts = [["ingest", "batch hourly", 10, 0], ["ingest", "stream", 25, 0]]
store_opts = [["store", "compress", 8, 12], ["store", "raw", 20, 0]]
serve_opts = [["serve", "cache 24h", 5, 18], ["serve", "cache 1h", 14, 3]]
report_opts = [["report", "nightly rebuild", 6, 9], ["report", "incremental", 22, 0]]
def local_pick(opts):
bi = 0
best = opts[0][2]
i = 1
for o in opts:
if o[2] < best:
best = o[2]
bi = i - 1
i = i + 1
return bi
def global_pick(opts):
bi = 0
best = opts[0][2] + opts[0][3]
i = 1
for o in opts:
if o[2] + o[3] < best:
best = o[2] + o[3]
bi = i - 1
i = i + 1
return bi
teams = [ingest_opts, store_opts, serve_opts, report_opts]
print("team local choice cost here cost elsewhere total")
local_total = 0
local_here = 0
for t in teams:
k = local_pick(t)
o = t[k]
local_total = local_total + o[2] + o[3]
local_here = local_here + o[2]
print(" " + o[0] + " " + o[1] + " " + str(o[2]) + " " + str(o[3]) + " " + str(o[2] + o[3]))
print(" total " + str(local_total))
print("")
print("team total-cost choice cost here cost elsewhere total")
global_total = 0
global_here = 0
for t in teams:
k = global_pick(t)
o = t[k]
global_total = global_total + o[2] + o[3]
global_here = global_here + o[2]
print(" " + o[0] + " " + o[1] + " " + str(o[2]) + " " + str(o[3]) + " " + str(o[2] + o[3]))
print(" total " + str(global_total))
print("")
if global_total < local_total:
print("choosing on the total costs " + str(local_total - global_total) + " less than four correct local choices")
elif global_total == local_total:
print("the two totals are equal, so the local choices were already optimal")
else:
print("the local choices came out cheaper on the total, which cannot happen")
print("")
print("what changes for each team's own budget")
worse_off = 0
for t in teams:
lk = local_pick(t)
gk = global_pick(t)
if not lk == gk:
was = t[lk][2]
now = t[gk][2]
print(" " + t[0][0] + " : " + str(was) + " to " + str(now))
if now > was:
worse_off = worse_off + 1
if worse_off > 0:
print(" team budgets that go up : " + str(worse_off) + ", and each is measured on that line")
print(" the total falls anyway, because the increase is smaller than what it saves")
print("")
print("the two totals, by whose budget they land in")
print(" local choices : " + str(local_here) + " on the deciding teams, " + str(local_total - local_here) + " elsewhere")
print(" total choices : " + str(global_here) + " on the deciding teams, " + str(global_total - global_here) + " elsewhere")
if global_here > local_here:
print(" the deciding teams pay " + str(global_here - local_here) + " more to save " + str(local_total - global_total) + " overall")
print("")
print("the number each team is given")
print(" its own line : yes")
print(" the other line : no, it is a different team's budget")
print(" a team choosing on what it can see chooses the left column every time,")
print(" and being given the second number is the whole intervention")
print("")
i_local = 0
i_global = 0
il = local_pick(ingest_opts)
ig = global_pick(ingest_opts)
i_local = ingest_opts[il][2] + ingest_opts[il][3]
i_global = ingest_opts[ig][2] + ingest_opts[ig][3]
print("control - the ingest team, whose options cost nobody else anything")
print(" local choice total : " + str(i_local) + ", total-cost choice : " + str(i_global))
if i_local == i_global:
print(" the same option under both rules, so this team cannot show the gap")
print("")
print("Each team compared its options correctly and picked the cheapest. The")
print("cheapest of what a team is shown is a different quantity from the cheapest")
print("available, and the difference is the column nobody hands them.")stdout (executed)
textteam local choice cost here cost elsewhere total
ingest batch hourly 10 0 10
store compress 8 12 20
serve cache 24h 5 18 23
report nightly rebuild 6 9 15
total 68
team total-cost choice cost here cost elsewhere total
ingest batch hourly 10 0 10
store compress 8 12 20
serve cache 1h 14 3 17
report nightly rebuild 6 9 15
total 62
choosing on the total costs 6 less than four correct local choices
what changes for each team's own budget
serve : 5 to 14
team budgets that go up : 1, and each is measured on that line
the total falls anyway, because the increase is smaller than what it saves
the two totals, by whose budget they land in
local choices : 29 on the deciding teams, 39 elsewhere
total choices : 38 on the deciding teams, 24 elsewhere
the deciding teams pay 9 more to save 6 overall
the number each team is given
its own line : yes
the other line : no, it is a different team's budget
a team choosing on what it can see chooses the left column every time,
and being given the second number is the whole intervention
control - the ingest team, whose options cost nobody else anything
local choice total : 10, total-cost choice : 10
the same option under both rules, so this team cannot show the gap
Each team compared its options correctly and picked the cheapest. The
cheapest of what a team is shown is a different quantity from the cheapest
available, and the difference is the column nobody hands them.Trace event types
eml:run:starteml:assigneml:defeml:outputeml:calleml:returneml:run:done