We all played tag when we were kids. What most of us don't realize is that this simple chase game is in fact an application of pursuit theory, and that the same principles of games like tag, dodgeball, and hide-and-seek are also at play in military strategy, high-seas chases by the Coast Guard, and even romantic pursuits. In Chases and Escapes, Paul Nahin gives us the first complete history of this fascinating area of mathematics, from its classical analytical beginnings to the present day.
Drawing on game theory, geometry, linear algebra, target-tracking algorithms, and much more, Nahin also offers an array of challenging puzzles with their historical background and broader applications. Chases and Escapes includes solutions to all problems and provides computer programs that readers can use for their own cutting-edge analysis.
Now with a gripping new preface on how the Enola Gay escaped the shock wave from the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, this book will appeal to anyone interested in the mathematics that underlie pursuit and evasion.
Author(s): Paul J. Nahin
Series: Princeton Puzzlers
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Year: 2012
Language: English
Commentary: Images on p.103 & p.104 are (intentionally) omitted.
Pages: 285
Tags: Puzzle Book
Cover
Copyright
Contents
Preface to the Paperback Edition
What You Need to Know
Introduction
Chapter 1 - The Classic Pursuit Problem
Chapter 2 - Pursuit of (Mostly) Maneuvering Targets
Chapter 3 - Cyclic Pursuit
Chapter 4 - Seven Classic Evasion Problems
Appendix A - Solution to the Challenge Problems of Section 1.1
Appendix B - Solutions to the Challenge Problems of Section 1.2
Appendix C - Solution to the Challenge Problem of Section 1.5
Appendix D - Solution to the Challenge Problem of Section 2.2
Appendix E - Solution to the Challenge Problem of Section 2.3
Appendix F - Solution to the Challenge Problem of Section 2.5
Appendix G - Solution to the Challenge Problem of Section 3.2
Appendix H - Solution to the Challenge Problem of Section 4.3
Appendix I - Solution to the Challenge Problem of Section 4.4
Appendix J - Solution to the Challenge Problem of Section 4.7
Appendix K - Guelman's Proof
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
