Location is a major aspect of our world. The mechanisms we
have for moving from one point to a another have evolved,
as well as the complexity of the world. With these massive
changes in the size of cities and the ability to move, man
developed the map, a simple sheet of paper designed to
assist a traveler in moving from one place to another.
In a small system, a human could deduce the fastest route,
as it is normally a straight line with very few turns.
However, a human being may begin to fail to discover the
fastest route if the system grows more complex.
Mathematicians started looking at possible solutions to
this problem in ancient times. Theories and algorithms have
evolved over the years. The invention of the computer has
drastically changed the playing field for these
mathematicians, who now have a device that can do these
tasks with ease.
Being able to calculate the fastest route through a map,
with a computer could save time, money, fuel, power, and
all other kinds of resources. Clearly, the traveling
salesman problem is a worthy task for our team, our world,
and certainly a supercomputer.