Conference rusure::math

830.0. "Locating a Drug Runner" by CLT::GILBERT (Builder) Thu Feb 25 1988 11:26

Newsgroups: sci.math
Path: decwrl!hplabs!sdcrdcf!csun!polyslo!jsalter
Subject: Mathematics Modelling Competition
Posted: 23 Feb 88 08:36:47 GMT
Organization: Cal Poly State Wax Museum
 
 
Having just gone through 4 days (fri...sat...sun...mon...tu..nope, not tues.)
of near-hell, I'm wondering who else on the net was in the Competition.
 
For those of you who don't know, the Mathematics Contest in Modelling -- 1988
was this past weekend.  Since, obviously, I was in it, let me tell you about
the problems.  There were two, one discrete and one continuous.
 
My team worked on the continuous problem.  It went something like this:
 
	Locating a Drug Runner
 
Two listening posts 5.43 miles apart pick up a brief radio signal.  The sensing devices were oriented at 110, 119 degrees when the signal was picked up.  The 
devices are accurate to w/i 2 degrees.  The signal came from a region of
active drug exchange, and it is inferred that there is apower boat waiting
for someone to pick up drugs.  It is dusk, the weather is calm, and there are
no (NO!) currents.  A small helicopter leaves a pad from post 1 and is able
to fly accurately along the 110 angle accurately.  The helicopter's speed is three times the speed of the boat.  The helicopter will be heard when it gets
w/i 500 ft. At 200 ft, the helicopter's only search device (a light) will just
illuminate a circular region of radius 25 ft.
 
	1.  Describe the region where the pilot can expect to find the waiting
		boat.
 
	2.  Develop an optimal search method for the helicopter.
 
Calculations need a 95% confidence level.
 
"Whew!"
 
 
(You need to use a little imagination on the angles...)
      
  _1_----------------------------------------------- 
   ^(110)                                ______/
   |                               ______/
   |                        ______/
   5.43 miles        ______/
   |          ______/
   "    _____/
  _2_--/
     (119)
 
Since the contest is now over, I feel safe in asking what others think: 
about the contest, the problem, or anything else for that matter.
-- 
[email protected]               Tasslehoff is a kender,
...{csustan,csun,sdsu}!polyslo!jtolman          ready for a decent blender.

    Surprising. One month later, and noone's tried this problem??
    
    Just wondering if anyone took a stab at it,
    dp