+ Follow

• 1,621 views

Many people don't realize that what we now call "algorithm design" actually dates back to the ancient Greeks! Of course, if you think about it, there's always the "Euclidean Algorithm". A more dubiou...

Many people don't realize that what we now call "algorithm design" actually dates back to the ancient Greeks! Of course, if you think about it, there's always the "Euclidean Algorithm". A more dubious example might be Theseus's use of a ball of string to solve the "Labyrinth Problem". (Google "Theseus, Labyrinth, string".) Solutions to this problem got a lot less dubious after graph theory was invited, since a graph turns out to be a good way of representing a maze mathematically. We will examine the classical solutions to this problem, and then throw in a twist --- a Twisted Painting Machine that puts restrictions on which paths we can take to explore the maze. Applications to sewing may also appear, depending on the presence of audience interest and string.