Formula jam
December 19th, 2007
Posted by Cptn
There are times when even the most ardent citizens of the PRSD take to the motorway, in a suped up soon-to-be water-fueled (of which more later) wagon. And in a way, it’s refreshing to know that there is a mathematical formula to the otherwise inexplicable snarl ups that seem to be caused by nothing.
A team of mathematicians from the universities of Exeter, Bristol and Budapest have created a mathematical model of congestion. It shows that slowing down below a critical speed when reacting to an unexpected event had a knock on effect that would have cars at a standstill a few miles back.
Dr Gábor Orosz of the University of Exeter, told the PRSD: “When you tap your brake, the traffic may come to a full stand-still several miles behind you. It really matters how hard you brake – a slight braking from a driver who has identified a problem early will allow the traffic flow to remain smooth. Heavier braking, usually caused by a driver reacting late to a problem, can affect traffic flow for many miles.â€
The effect is called a ‘backward travelling wave’, of course.
We’ve come up with our own formula: desire/need to travel + poor public transport = congestion to the power of pollutants over frustration. We’ll publish it in our ’stay at home’ papers, the sequel to our earlier and younger ‘dirty stop out’ theory.
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Entry Filed under: Society
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