If two identical robots fought, which one would win?

[esperandote]

They would conclude that it would be better for them to make a truce and kill the humans that are making them fight to each other.

 

[Athinira]

Assuming that the terrain is the same and the robots are exactly the same down to the last molecule (like if someone mirrored the universe) then it's a tie, period.

People who argue randomness obviously has no clue what randomness actually is. Randomness doesn't "exist". Randomness is a concept invented by humans to classify events that they can't predict the outcome from because it's impossible to know (and therefore factor in) every nuance in the situation. That still doesn't change that if the situation is absolutely 100% pure equal on both sides, then randomness doesn't exist.

Even a coin toss isn't truly random. It's just more or less unpredictable.

 

[GiantRaven]

Which one would be victorious? Between the first robot (who we shall call Robot A) and his fully functional identical twin (who, since being exactly the same, we shall also call Robot A)? Well, I personally would put money on Robot A being the victor.

If both robots are the same in every way, it becomes completely pointless to suggest one specific robot as winning (although one probably would win at some point).

 

[aHuman]

The one that first realizes that identity is not solely dependent on physical and innate properties but, rather, through choice one can affect the course and events of one's life will win.

Seconds before being decapitated by the non-existentialist counter-part.

 

[Wes1180]

The player character

 

[captainwolfos]

The one that starts attacking the other first.

It's basically like an equally matched Pokemon battle. The one that goes first will generally be the winner, discounting critical hits and the fact there is more than one attack option per Pokemon.

That's my two cents. Take it for what it is.

 

[Rhymer]

Chaos theory dictates that two systems with initial starting conditions will begin to deviate in small ways that will eventually lead to them operating differently.

So even though they were identical one robot may have more traction on one wheel, or lose slightly more power through a solder. This may affect speed or attitude (if only in one wheel/leg) and so the programming would respond to the situation differently than the other robot. Even ambient temperature in different areas of the arena would affect conductivity in minor ways and so the two robots, whilst initially computing the same solution, would be faced with infintescimally different conditions that would alter their response.

You are correct dear sir. However, if the robots are EXACTLY the same, which was the original question, as well as the environment affecting the two robots in EXACTLY the same way, there would be no deviation, simply because conditions are exactly the same in both instances. And yes, it's pretty much impossible, but hey

 

[Fraught]

hey, those 'cocks don't have the same paintjob!

Also, they might be identical, but that doesn't mean that if someone makes a clone of you, you'll do all the same things and your life'll progress the same way.

It's purely luck who does the right moves.

 

[i7omahawki]

But are the surroundings and circumstances exactly the same as well? If yes, neither of them would win. I guess they would break or run out of fuel or whatever else at the same time.

Coin flip. Luck does exist, and plays it's own role in combat, and you can't control it. One would slip, or get damaged in the legs early, or who knows what, and the other would win.

Luck and coincidence can't exist, because nothing happens without cause. Even a coin flip is subject to flipping force, air resistance, momentum, etc. If one manages to damage the other one's legs earlier, then they are not exactly the same, because the one striking the blow obviously has superior tactics. If one slipped and the other one didn't, then the ground under that robot must have been different from the ground beneath the other one. So the surroundings were different.

We assume nothing happens without a cause, an assumption we could never prove.

But as you say, luck and coincidence are the percieved abscence of cause, though we expect they are there somehow. If they are identical in the terms you are suggesting, they couldn't even fight! Their location would have to be exactly the same, meaning they occupy the same exact space.

So, are these robots theoretically identical, to everything the human mind can adequately examine, or literally, entirely, identical, in which case we can only assume it would be a draw.

I think the former, identical to all that we can examine, as it suggests its the only kind of identicality we can adequately grasp. And so, something seemingly insignicant would decide the battle, and one robot would emerge victorious. And possibly sad as a consequence of slaying his twin.

 

[Wintermoot]

the one piloted by Amuro Ray or the original (assuming it,s pilot has more combat experience)

 

[Rhaff]

One of them will eventually make a mistake, or get unlucky, and then the other will win.

 

[Zero-Vash]

It would probably be a draw with both "losing". Each shooting the other in a crippling manner at the exact same time. Otherwise the chaos theory would take hold as a few have said and SOMETHING would give one an advantage the other didn't have. It would be a fun even to watch though

 

[ZydrateDealer]

The one that starts.Will win.

Nope, in starting the battle it gives the other robot the chance to see what it's strategy thus the other one will counter it's move and crush it.

As both robots know this neither will start and we are looking at the world's longest staring contest.

I suppose if they are forced to fight to the death then the winner will be the one who has the higher luck stat as lets face it there is no other way to determine the outcome. Of course luck stats don't really exist so the universe would diverge at this point and split into parallel universes so both robots win and both robots lose...well in theory in reality it's the one who slips on a wet patch of grass that will lose as parallel universes are impossible for me to comprehend, and they also make free will impossible because there are clones of you doing everything you'll ever be able to do even if all you ever do is wank till teatime. I've lost sight of my point but I think it's that it'd be impossible to know unless we did it and we couldn't because the universe itself is flawed and imperfect and yet brilliantly balanced...which is an amazing thought.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Whoever hit first, obviously.

 

[Vrach]

Depends on their algorithm. Since you didn't specify that robots were perfect in any way or had defense mechanisms to counteract their attack mechanisms, they can easily end up attacking each other with things they can't defend against. Which is going to end up being the case with anything other than a 100% perfect algorithm, which might as well be God or very simple robots.

And considering such a situation, the one that would win... well again, depends on algorithm. They may have a slow-burn ability (to talk in gaming terms, damage over time attack) that once used, will end up killing both robots. Even instant attacks might be slow enough to both be used before they're both destroyed.

So most likely, the robots would end up destroying each other with the same attack. There is an unlikely case of the robots having attacks that hit fast enough to not allow retribution (think >= speed of light), there the winner could be the one that attacked first, but I imagine you're talking the ideal case (even though impossible without divine intervention) of starting at the same time. Also, if they don't attack at the same time, their algorithms may not execute in the same order, which would again lead to winner by algorithm (even if it's the same one, the if clauses could execute differently).

So to sum up, neither/both unless different start and/or near-instant death blows. Unless RNG ofc, but that in play, it's anyone's guess and depends on how the RNG system is implemented.

 

[Zenn3k]

Both are identical in EVERY conceivable way, strength,intelligence, paint job, etc. So how would the fight end and which one would be victorious?

Edit: Ok, even the environmental conditions are the same, even the space between the two robots facing each other are the same, even the two grandmothers in the crowd cheering them on are the same, all conditions are equal for both sides of the conflict.

And both robots are fighting because they both think of the other as a copy and...

This is simple.

If all conditions are equal, then whichever one attacks first will win.

 

[Drazeric]

number one would win if they both think the other is a copy...doesnt matter who wins but it will always be Number 1 or unit one, or whatever you wanna call it.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I'd go for:

The one on the left.

Both are identical in EVERY conceivable way, strength,intelligence, paint job, etc. So how would the fight end and which one would be victorious?

The one on my left.

The left one.
Why? Because I say so.

This is a weird pattern, no one is saying the one on the right.

 

[black-magic]

As they are robots they would be able to predict the moves of their enemy and know that the enemy knows theirs, as such they would stay at a distance that neither can hit the other until they ran out of fuel, otherwise they would stand off forever.

 

[Spieggelmaus]

Depends what the robots were designed for; if they were repair-ermm-bots, programmed to fix any damage on anything around them it could be a very long and pointless fight. Though I guess the same could be said of this thread