MATH 3250 -- Problem Solving Tools
Fall 2006 Semester
MATLAB Page

• Locker.m:  This is the solution to Problem (2.22).
  The command "Locker(# of lockers)" will show which lockers
  are open (1) and which are closed (0).
   
  
• Monkey.m:  This is a brute-force search for the number of coconuts
  necessary to solve the Monkey & 5 Sailors problem.
• Monkey6.m:  Same as above, but with 6 Sailors.
   
  
• C03P36.m:  This is the solution to Chapter 03 Problem 36 (3.36).
  We perform the erasing algorithm using a "for" loop.
• Reverse.m:  Now do the same algorithm, but start at the back of the
  list!
   
  
• ptod.m:  This is the solution to Problem (2.5).
  The command "ptod(# of pages)" will give us the number of digits
  necessary to number the pages of that book.
  
  
• Tractrix.m:  This is an approximation for Example 7.4 (Zorba's Towed Boat).
    
• cubes.m:  This finds solutions to x^3 + y^3 + z^3 = n.
  These are Diophantine solutions:  (x, y, z) must all be positive integers.
• cubesns.m:  Same as above, but an example command is:
  cubesns(100000, 4).
  This will find the first n for which there are 4 different solutions.
  It takes about 20 seconds.
   
  
• hailstone.m:  This executes the hailstone algorithm on p. 88. on a particular
  integer n.  It returns the number of hailstone iterations necessary to cause
  n to come back down to n = 1.
   
  
• buffon.m:  This simulates the Buffon Needle Experiment and outputs
  a decimal approximation for pi.  You will need to make a modification
  if d is not equal to 1.
   
• Star-crossed Lovers Demos [DPGraph demos]
  ProbSolid.dpg:  This is the 3D case where all parties must arrive within 0.5 time
  units of each other.
  MovingCube.dpg:  This shows the 3D cube moving from lowest corner (0,0,0) to
  highest corner (1,1,1).
  Meeting3D.m:  This simulates 3 people meeting.  Each person will only wait around for
  0.5 time units.
   
• Sph3D.m:  This simulates the ratio of points in 1/8 of a 3D sphere.
  6 times this ratio should be pi.
  

Send comments to:  mkawai@math.cudenver.edu
Last modified on 30 November 2006.