On Tue, Jan 29, 2008 at 11:47:34PM -0800, Hugh Trenchard wrote: > Basically, by touch alone, and not by talking or speaking, I speculate they > will eventually, after a lot of bumping and inefficient route taking, > establish two smoothly flowing lines where each person touches the other in > passing and will find nearly the shortest distance between the two points, > even though none of them will know it! > > Obviously I could be wrong, but that is one way to test what I believe to be > occurring among the ants. > > Hugh Trenchard >
Also one can try a computer simulation. Not as much fun, perhaps, but easier that trying to draft a few hundred people... -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A/Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) Mathematics UNSW SYDNEY 2052 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Australia http://www.hpcoders.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
