A programmable robotic mouse is placed at an intersection on a square grid, the borders of which are extendable as needed.

From its initial location the mouse moves one cell forward. It turns right with its next move incrementing by 1. This incremental process continues up to a certain constraint whereby the mouse resumes the process with a move of one space until that constraint is met again; continue this process until you either return to your starting position or you evidently will never return. What generalisations can be made about how variations of the value of the constraint affect the path forced upon the mouse?

M

Note:It will be necessary to test a range of constraining values.

(In reply to re(2): No Subject by nikki)

Hi Nikki.
Constraint: By your comment this was an unfortunate choice of word.  I was looking for a concise term and trying to maintain text brevity.  I did not occur to me to look for something as simple as "fixed/upper limit".  Had I done so we would not have the opportunity to explore this further.

As I look at your pseudocode, would it not be more precise for C=C+1 to carry some label which suggests it is a module which generates the next "C" value?  That way I could understand how one might work through something like the Fibonacci numbers.

She: I suspected that I'd get an answer somewhat akin to that.

Initially I wondered what Charlie had in mind with his proposal in the  comment just below this, but it is very interesting also.

I'm about to post my solution.  Take me to task on it if you wish.

Edited on January 22, 2008, 8:24 pm

Posted by brianjn on 2008-01-21 21:05:28