https://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/StateMachineInRealLife.html?vj01hn State Machine In Real Life Recent changes Links to this page Table of contents FRONT PAGE / INDEX --------------------------------------------------------------------- [feed-icon3]Subscribe! +--------------------+ @ColinTheMathmo | This page has been | ----------------------------- | Tagged As Story, | My latest posts can be found | Tagged As Maths, | here: | Tagged As Software | +--------------------+ * Colins Blog Some time in the first half of 2016 my wife and I were travelling. We stayed in a reasonably comfortable but very inexpensive hotel, and ----------------------------- meals weren't provided. As it happened, across the way was a large Previous blog posts: retail park with a large well-known supermarket chain, and they had a restaurant. * Coxeter Once Nerd Sniped Conway So we had breakfast there, and if we'd been out during the day and * Not Always Your Fault wanted an early night, we'd have dinner there as well. There was * Remembering Conway enough variety for this to be OK for the few days required. * Perception Of Space * Parallelogram Puzzle I say it was a restaurant, but actually it was a canteen. There was a * Back Of The Envelope counter where you took a tray and passed along, collecting cakes and COVID19 desserts, until you got to the till where you ordered any hot food * A Point Against The Axiom and hot drinks, and paid. The hot drinks were provided immediately, Of Choice you were given a table number indicator, and you went to sit at a * In Defense Of The Axiom table. Then when your food was ready, it was brought to you. Of Choice * Journeying Home Through +---------------------------------------------------+ Storm Dennis | https://www.solipsys.co.uk/images/TableNumber.jpg | * Earth Radius Refined +---------------------------------------------------+ * Volume Of A Sphere We ate there four or five times, and I noticed that they were using a * Big Oh And Relations finite state machine. It went like this. * Mathematical Relations * Introducing Big Oh * You ordered, paid, and went to your table with the table number; * Constant Differences * Your food was brought to you; * Algorithms And Sizes Of * Some time later they would return and ask if everything was OK; Instances * Then they would take the table number(!) * Introducing Time Complexity Can you see the absolute genius in the design of this work-flow? * The Linear Frog * Seventy Versus One Suppose you are a member of staff. You can't remember everything Hundred Revisited about every customer, but you can periodically scan the tables and * How The Farrago Works immediately know the state: * Seventy Versus One Hundred * People, table number, no food, * Powers Of Two In Lex + ... they are waiting for their food. Order * People, table number, food, * Emerging E Expanded + ... go and ask if everything is OK, * Rage Inducing System o ... and remove the table number. Implementation * People, no table number, food, * The Book Is Not Always + ... leave them alone. Right * No people and dirty dishes, * Emerging E + ... clear and clean the table. * Impossible To Translate * Waiting In Vain So of course, I upset the system. * Non Repeating Decimals * Rational Repeats On the last two occasions we were there, when they brought our food I * Why Is It Lovely gave them the table number indicator. Cue deep confusion ... that is * Compiling Crypto not supposed to happen. But I explained that we'd prefer to be left Connections alone, and that if we needed anything we'd come and ask. * Exploring Connections Between Crypto Systems It was apparent on the faces of the staff that this was completely * Elwyn Berlekamp Has Left unexpected. Most likely they never expected members of the public to Us pay attention to the system and how it worked. * Root Cause Analysis And The Photocopier Question But it was a real-life example of a finite-state machine, beautifully * The Up Down Tides designed, extremely effective, and it even coped gracefully when * The Fore Aft Tide faced with something unexpected. * The Sideways Tide --------------------------------------------------------------------- * Wrapping Up Wrapping Up The Earth +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ * The Other Wrapping The | <<<< Prev <<<< | | >>>> Next >>>> | Earth Problem | ------------------------------- | : | --------------------------- | * Wrapping The Earth | Coxeter Once Nerd Sniped Conway | | Being Slow To Criticise ... | * The Ring Of Steel +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ * Rounding Up The Ropes * Other Other Other Rope --------------------------------------------------------------------- Around The Earth * Rope Around The Earth https://mathstodon.xyz/ You can follow me on Refined @ColinTheMathmo Mathstodon. * The Other Rope Around The Earth * Elementary Estimates * Latitude Correction +----------------------------+ * Just Give Me The Answer | Of course, you can also | * More Musing On Pollard | follow me on twitter: | Rho | | * Idle Thoughts About | @ColinTheMathmo | Pollard Rho | [CountHits] | * When Optimising Code +----------------------------+ Measure * A Dog Called Mixture --------------------------------------------------------------------- * Another Pay Pal Scam * Why Top Posting Has Won Send us a comment ... * Unexpected Interaction Of Features You can send us a message * Archimedes Hat Box here. It doesn't get Theorem published, it just sends us an * Considering A Sphere email, and is an easy way to * To Link Or Not To Link ask any questions, or make any * Generic Advice For comments, without having to Writing A Thesis send a separate email. So just * Just Teach My Child The fill in the boxes and then Maths [CLICK HERE TO SEND] * Not A Spectator Sport * Left Truncatable Prime Your : [ ] * The Doctor And The Lawyer name * Four Points Two Distances Proof Email : [ ] * Meeting Ron Graham * Napkin Ring Versus Message : [ ] Spherical Cap [ ] * The Four Points Puzzle [ ] * Radius Of The Earth Part [ ] Two [ ] * Grep Timing Anomaly [ ] * The Radius Of The Earth [ ] * This Works To Cure My [ ] Hiccoughs [ ] * Perhaps We Saved One [ ] * Thinking About Mastodon * Disappearing Trains On [CLICK HERE TO SEND] Virgin * The Independence Game * One Of My Favourite Puzzles * Thinking About Recursion * Memorising The Tube * Spikey Spheres * Surprisingly Quick * An Unexpected Fraction * You Have To Admire Their Optimism * Representatives Matter * Pythagoras By Incircle * A Puzzle About Puzzles * How Not To Do Twitter * Calculating 52 Factorial By Hand * Small Things Might Not Be So Small * Not If You Hurry * Factoring Via Graph Three Colouring * Another Proof Of The Doodle Theorem * When Obvious Is Not Obvious * Graph Three Colouring * The Doodle Theorem * Be Careful What You Say * The Mutilated Chessboard Revisited * A Mirror Copied * The Other Other Rope Around The Earth * Photocopy A Mirror * The Point Of The Banach Tarski Theorem * Sieve Of Eratosthenes In Python * Fast Perrin Test * Russian Peasant Multiplication * FindingPerrinPseudoPrimes Part2 * FindingPerrinPseudoPrimes Part1 * The Unwise Update * Miles Per Gallon * Tracking An Item On Hacker News * Hacker News User Ages * Poking The Dusty Corners * There Is No Time For This * Publically Sharing Links * Learning Times Tables * Graceful Degradation * Diagramming Maths Topics * On The Rack * Square Root By Long Division * Beyond The Boundary * Fill In The Gaps * Software Checklist * NASA Space Crews * The Birthday Paradox * The Trapezium Conundrum * Revisiting The Ant * The Ant And The Rubber Band * Irrationals Exist * Multiple Choice Probability Puzzle * Random Eratosthenes * Wrapping Up Square Dissection * Dissecting A Square Part 2 * Dissecting A Circle * Dissecting A Square * An Oddity In Tennis * Decision Tree For Tennis * Decision Trees In Games * A Matter Of Convention * Do You Nourish Or Tarnish * Binary Search Reconsidered * Two Equals Four * The Lost Property Office * The Forgiving User Interface * Setting Up RSS * Withdrawing From Hacker News ----------------------------- Additionally, some earlier writings: * Random Writings. * Colins Blog 2010 * Colins Blog 2009 * Colins Blog 2008 * Colins Blog 2007 * Colins Blog Before 2007 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents Links on this page +------------------+ |Site hosted by | * Send us * ADogCalledMixture |Colin and Rachel | a * AMatterOfConvention |Wright: | comment * AMirrorCopied | | ... * APointAgainstTheAxiomOfChoice | * Maths, Design,| * APuzzleAboutPuzzles | Juggling, | * AlgorithmsAndSizesOfInstances | Computing, | * AnOddityInTennis | * Embroidery, | * AnUnexpectedFraction | Proof-reading,| * AnotherPayPalScam | * and other | * AnotherProofOfTheDoodleTheorem | clever stuff. | * ArchimedesHatBoxTheorem +------------------+ * BackOfTheEnvelopeCOVID19 * BeCarefulWhatYouSay * BeingSlowToCriticise * BeyondTheBoundary * BigOhAndRelations * BinarySearchReconsidered * Calculating52FactorialByHand * ColinsBlog * ColinsBlog2007 * ColinsBlog2008 * ColinsBlog2009 * ColinsBlog2010 * ColinsBlogBefore2007 * CompilingCryptoConnections * ConsideringASphere * ConstantDifferences * CoxeterOnceNerdSnipedConway * DecisionTreeForTennis * DecisionTreesInGames * DiagrammingMathsTopics * DisappearingTrainsOnVirgin * DissectingACircle * DissectingASquare * DissectingASquarePart2 * DoYouNourishOrTarnish * EarthRadiusRefined * ElementaryEstimates * ElwynBerlekampHasLeftUs * EmergingE * EmergingEExpanded * ExploringConnectionsBetweenCryptoSystems * FactoringViaGraphThreeColouring * FastPerrinTest * FillInTheGaps * FindingPerrinPseudoPrimes_Part1 * FindingPerrinPseudoPrimes_Part2 * FourPointsTwoDistancesProof * GenericAdviceForWritingAThesis * GracefulDegradation * GraphThreeColouring * GrepTimingAnomaly * HackerNewsUserAges * HowNotToDoTwitter * HowTheFarragoWorks * IdleThoughtsAboutPollardRho * ImpossibleToTranslate * InDefenseOfTheAxiomOfChoice * IntroducingBigOh * IntroducingTimeComplexity * IrrationalsExist * JourneyingHomeThroughStormDennis * JustGiveMeTheAnswer * JustTeachMyChildTheMaths * LatitudeCorrection * LearningTimesTables * LeftTruncatablePrime * MathematicalRelations * MeetingRonGraham * MemorisingTheTube * MilesPerGallon * MoreMusingOnPollardRho * MultipleChoiceProbabilityPuzzle * NASASpaceCrews * NapkinRingVersusSphericalCap * NonRepeatingDecimals * NotASpectatorSport * NotAlwaysYourFault * NotIfYouHurry * OnTheRack * OneOfMyFavouritePuzzles * OtherOtherOtherRopeAroundTheEarth * ParallelogramPuzzle * PerceptionOfSpace * PerhapsWeSavedOne * PhotocopyAMirror * PokingTheDustyCorners * PowersOfTwoInLexOrder * PublicallySharingLinks * PythagorasByIncircle * RadiusOfTheEarthPartTwo * RageInducingSystemImplementation * RandomEratosthenes * RandomWritings * RationalRepeats * RememberingConway * RepresentativesMatter * RevisitingTheAnt * RootCauseAnalysisAndThePhotocopierQuestion * RopeAroundTheEarthRefined * RoundingUpTheRopes * RussianPeasantMultiplication * SettingUpRSS * SeventyVersusOneHundred * SeventyVersusOneHundredRevisited * SieveOfEratosthenesInPython * SmallThingsMightNotBeSoSmall * SoftwareChecklist * SpikeySpheres * SquareRootByLongDivision * SurprisinglyQuick * TaggedAsMaths * TaggedAsSoftware * TaggedAsStory * TheAntAndTheRubberBand * TheBirthdayParadox * TheBookIsNotAlwaysRight * TheDoctorAndTheLawyer * TheDoodleTheorem * TheForeAftTide * TheForgivingUserInterface * TheFourPointsPuzzle * TheIndependenceGame * TheLinearFrog * TheLostPropertyOffice * TheMutilatedChessboardRevisited * TheOtherOtherRopeAroundTheEarth * TheOtherRopeAroundTheEarth * TheOtherWrappingTheEarthProblem * ThePointOfTheBanachTarskiTheorem * TheRadiusOfTheEarth * TheRingOfSteel * TheSidewaysTide * TheTrapeziumConundrum * TheUnwiseUpdate * TheUpDownTides * ThereIsNoTimeForThis * ThinkingAboutMastodon * ThinkingAboutRecursion * ThisWorksToCureMyHiccoughs * ToLinkOrNotToLink * TrackingAnItemOnHackerNews * TwoEqualsFour * UnexpectedInteractionOfFeatures * VolumeOfASphere * WaitingInVain * WhenObviousIsNotObvious * WhenOptimisingCodeMeasure * WhyIsItLovely * WhyTopPostingHasWon * WithdrawingFromHackerNews * WrappingTheEarth * WrappingUpSquareDissection * WrappingUpWrappingUpTheEarth * YouHaveToAdmireTheirOptimism --------------------------------------------------------------------- [wiki] Suggest a change ( <-- What does this mean?) / Send me email Front Page / All pages by date / Site overview / Top of page Universally Browser Friendly Quotation from Valid HTML 3.2! 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