Of course, it's not as simple as that. Few things are.
A premature end?
This process, the repeated series of breaking down walls and advancing into the adjacent room, doesn't go on forever. It will continue until we cannot break down any more walls. But at some point, we will encounter a problem because we are surrounded by rooms we've already visited. When that happens, the process is trapped and cannot go on anymore.
Here's how it might have looked in the original maze, at the moment we first trapped ourselves:
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+ + | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | y| | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ + | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |x | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+ + +--+ + | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+ +--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
We started at position x and ended up at position y. At that point, the process is finally surrounded by rooms it has already been to. So that's the end of that.
Now what?
Last updated: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 19:06