Page 12 - AutomationNotebook-Issue46-digital

Break Room
Brain Teasers
By Chip McDaniel, AutomationDirect 1.) Zig or Zag
The factory manager wants to know how many routes there are for the AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) in the lower left cor- ner to get to the charging station in the upper right (see the dia- gram below). The AGV must always travel along the lines shown such that it gets closer to the charging station with each move; that is, it must always travel either North, East, or Northeast along the lines.
2.) Dividing Fluid
The factory manager purchased a barrel containing 24 liters of cutting
fluid for the factory’s three CNC machines. She desires that the fluid be divided evenly between the three machines – but the only buckets avail- able hold 5, 11, and 13 liters respectively. How do the machine operators divvy up the cutting fluid? What is the minimum number of pouring oper-
ations possible to arrive at three containers with exactly 8 liters in each?
3.) Diagon Allie
The factory floor contains 64 work cells alternately painted
blue and white as shown. Starting in the upper left work cell, Allie (the AGV) needs to visit all the white work cells, without fully enter- ing ANY of the blue cells (she will always move diagonally). And she must not cross any of the intersections more than once. It can be done with 17 straight segments. Can you find Allie’s path?
Solutions on next page
Break Room www.automationnotebook.com | Issue 46