29 September 2008

Mow

               
A farmer mows his field.

He mows in straight lines.

His tractor goed back and forth.

The farmer makes a u-turn at end of each line.

The turnings points are a waste of mowing time.

The farmer mows away from the starting point.

There is a long way back at the end of the ride.

Mow on?

Is there a more efficient route?

Could you mow on non-stop?

Which route is most efficient?

Is thre one uninterrupted mowing route?

Is there a route that goes round?

Can the farmer end where he started?

mow in spirals!

This is a route planning puzzle.

There is a solution to route plannnig puzzles.

The most efficient route starts at the outer rim.

The route spirals inwards.

The farmer keeps one mowing distance between spiral sides.
From the center, the spiral goes out accross the yet unmowed grass.
The farmer ends at the starting point.

Now, that is efficient non-stop mowing, without any mowless turning points.

Till next nut,
Nut