Classic Hari Raya Problem
Classic computer science problem: Given that a salesman needs to visit a number of cities (which are all connected directly to each other), find the route such that the total distance traveled is the shortest.
Option 1: Enumerate all the possible routes, but this can be increasingly time-consuming as the number of cities becomes larger.
Option 2: Find a good-enough approximate answer in a shorter time.
Classic Hari Raya problem: Given that there is going to be a mass exodus of road vehicles from KL to everywhere else in Peninsular Malaysia, find the route (and timing) such that one won’t get stuck forever in a traffic jam stretching all the way to one’s kampung.
Option 1: Leave before the start of the mass exodus. For this year that would be Thursday 17 September or Friday 18 September. However for those with busy schedules, or with children in school, it’s a bit hard.
Option 2: Leave the house at 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning. If you could wake up and herd your family into the car this early, you deserve to escape the jam.
Option 3: Avoid the highways and use the old road. Well, everyone else might be thinking the exact same thing and you’re back to square one.
Option 4: Push off on the first day of Hari Raya. I actually know of someone who does this and he says the highway is completely clear!
Coming back home is another problem …
Anyway, all the best to those of you taking part in the Annual Malaysian Hari Raya Mass Road Vehicle Exodus and Traffic Jam Festival.
2 Responses to “Classic Hari Raya Problem”
1 nurba 17 September 2009 @ 2:22 pm
You won’t be participating in that festival, huh?
2 Gunja Farmer 28 September 2009 @ 6:15 pm
Have been executing Option 2 successfully for the past few years. And since we herd the kids every working day at 6.30 am anyway, they’re hardly aware of the difference. Selamat Beraya Habeeeb
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