Dekker's algorithm
Imagine you have two people, Alice and Bob, who are trying to cross a bridge from opposite sides as quickly as possible. The bridge is narrow and only one person can cross at a time. To make things even trickier, there are some rules: only one person can be on the bridge at a time, and they both want to cross at the same time.
So how can they both get to the other side without wasting time? One way is to use something called Dekker's algorithm. It's a clever trick that allows Alice and Bob to take turns crossing the bridge without getting in each other's way.
Here's how it works:
1. Alice gets to go first. She raises a flag to let Bob know she's starting to cross.
2. Bob sees the flag and waits until Alice is safely across before he starts crossing.
3. Meanwhile, Alice has reached the other side of the bridge and put down the flag.
4. Now it's Bob's turn to go. He raises the flag to signal to Alice that he's starting to cross.
5. Alice sees the flag and waits until Bob is safely across before she starts crossing again.
6. The cycle repeats, with each person taking turns going back and forth across the bridge and raising the flag to let the other person know they're starting.
By using this system, Alice and Bob can cross the bridge as quickly as possible without ever getting in each other's way. It's a simple but effective way to solve a tricky problem, and it's named after Dutch computer scientist Th. J. Dekker who came up with the algorithm in 1965.
So how can they both get to the other side without wasting time? One way is to use something called Dekker's algorithm. It's a clever trick that allows Alice and Bob to take turns crossing the bridge without getting in each other's way.
Here's how it works:
1. Alice gets to go first. She raises a flag to let Bob know she's starting to cross.
2. Bob sees the flag and waits until Alice is safely across before he starts crossing.
3. Meanwhile, Alice has reached the other side of the bridge and put down the flag.
4. Now it's Bob's turn to go. He raises the flag to signal to Alice that he's starting to cross.
5. Alice sees the flag and waits until Bob is safely across before she starts crossing again.
6. The cycle repeats, with each person taking turns going back and forth across the bridge and raising the flag to let the other person know they're starting.
By using this system, Alice and Bob can cross the bridge as quickly as possible without ever getting in each other's way. It's a simple but effective way to solve a tricky problem, and it's named after Dutch computer scientist Th. J. Dekker who came up with the algorithm in 1965.
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