The Dog and the Mailman

1
The Dog and the Mailman

• Project 1

2
Simulate Mailmen and Dogs

• Dog sees mailman
• Mailman sees dog
• Mailman runs from dog
• Dog runs to bite mailman (or get is dog biscuits)
• When does dog get mailman?

3
Dog Details

• Dog always moves towards mailman
• No heading him off at the pass
• Type 1 dog
• Moves a 2t for first 5 seconds
• Moves at 10 for rest of time
• Type 2 dog
• Moves at 3t for first 4 seconds
• Moves at 12 for rest of time
• May slips! (See included function)

4
Mailman Details

• Runs in straight line (x gt 0)
• No confusing dog with zig-zag
• No spraying dog with mace
• Has shoe untied at time 0 (should have bought
  velcro!)
• Type-A mailman
• Ties shoe for 5 seconds then runs at speed 5
• Type-B mailman
• Runs immediately with shoe untied at speed 2.5

5
Your Task

• Write simulation to determine when each dog bites
  the mailman
• Four cases
• Which dog is fastest? Should the mailman tie his
  shoe? Should the mailman find another job?
• The type-2 dog randomly slips, so you will need
  multiple runs (at least 10)

6
Hints

• Seed random number generator
• man srandom
• Maybe use time() (man 2 time)
• Can use other language (C, Java, Perl)
• Draw graphs! (showing data or x,y coordinates)
• Gnuplot
• Excel

7
Hand-In

• Report
• Description of your model
• High-level algorithm
• Termination and starting conditions
• Rule(s) used to update simulation
• Conclusion on
• Whether or not the mailman should tie his shoe
• Which type of dog is better at catching mailmen
• Source code
• Send by email