Maximising efficiency is risky business (Part 3) - A view on interdisciplinary research
In the first article of this series I described how logistic chains work. In the second article, we went one step further and dived in the mathematics. In this third part I discuss some personal experiences and ideas regarding interdisciplinary research.
Maximising efficiency is risky business (Part 2) - The mathematics behind logistics chains
We can use mathematics and more specifically networks to study logistics chains. In the first article we described how logistic chains work. In this second part, we go one step further and dive in the mathematics.
Maximising efficiency is risky business (Part 1) - Logistics chains and cascading small delays
Think of a local car dealer selling cars in your region. To make sure new cars are delivered on time a whole mechanism involving various people, factories, and transport companies, must operate in coordination. This is a highly complex process where mathematics plays an important role.
Ding-Dong! Finally, your delivery driver is at your door
Elisabeth already has an idea in mind: she would like to find the fastest possible route that goes to each address exactly once before finally returning to the station. This task is a well-known mathematical problem, namely the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP)! How can she solve it?
More roads, more traffic? Braess paradox!
The, seemingly innocent and quite natural, idea to build more roads in order to solve the traffic problem can be sometimes quite a bad idea.
Let’s make it on time without wasting time on it
What if I tell you that long queues in airports are also caused by the impatient passengers that arrive too far in advance at the airport? Today, we will analyze how the organization of the security check queue affects the waiting time of passengers.
Losing track of time? How to incorporate track choice in Dutch railway timetabling
Say you are living in Eindhoven and would like to spend a day in Amsterdam: what better way to get there than taking the train? Before your train departs, a whole logistic operation has taken place in the headquarters of the railway company to make this trip possible.
Contest: How fast can you travel around the Netherlands?
. Suppose you are coming to the Netherlands for the first time, you want to enjoy your time in the country in the best possible way and probably visit and see as much as possible. So you rend a car and you decide to travel around. But now the challenge begins, planning such a trip!
Traffic lights no longer needed: back to the future
Traffic lights are currently an annoying but inevitable part of traffic. With the introduction of self-driving cars however, can we avoid having to wait for a red light ever again?
Traffic congestion: Braess' Paradox
Can you imagine that the, seemingly innocent and quite natural, idea to build more roads in order to solve the traffic problem can be sometimes quite a bad idea.