Today is Election Day!  Don't forget to visit your local polling place to cast your vote and make your voice heard.

Social scientists have worked for generations on ways to model and understand human behavior. One of the most intriguing branches of this kind of sociology is game theory, which uses basic principles of competition to try to explain what motivates people. Here are some of the field's most interesting discoveries:

The games in game theory aren’t like games you play with the family – they’re more like mathematical models of behavior. Some of the most famous include the “normal form game,” which is expressed in a matrix of boxes that illustrate player’s choices, as well as the “centipede game,” used to examine situations where players can risk increasing amounts of a reward or lose it all.

Game theory enjoyed a boost of popularity during the 1950s, as analysis of the classic “prisoner’s dilemma” puzzle tied in with psychology to model human beings' motives for behaving the ways they do.

One of the disciplines that uses game theory most extensively is economics. Because most economic transactions can be judged as two parties wishing to obtain the greatest reward for the lowest risk, using game theory models to understand their behaviors is very effective. The key model for economic studies is the Nash equilibrium, which represents the best possible response from all players. You might have heard the name Nash in the recent film A Beautiful Mind.

Celebrating 2012's inaugural U.S. Grand Prix, Austin Fan Fest 2012 comes to downtown Austin from November 16-18th. If you haven't heard, the U.S. GP is a Formula 1 race taking place that weekend at Austin's newly constructed Circuit of the Americas race track, and Austin Fan Fest brings the city even more fun with an array of musical acts from all over the country, along with great local and regional bands.

Fan Fest's headline performers Aerosmith, Flo Rida, and Enrique Iglesias will play on main stages for the Fest's three night engagement, while smaller stages will showcase acts like Lupe Fiasco and The Wallflowers.

Around downtown Austin, attendees can also interact with F1 racing related installations, like racing simulators and Formula 1 cars. Arts exhibits, parties, and family friendly events all over downtown make the whole thing complete.

Want to know more? Click here to learn about Austin Fan Fest 2012.