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Shortest Path Solvers. From Software to Wetware pp 409–420Cite as

The Electron in the Maze

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Part of the book series: Emergence, Complexity and Computation ((ECC,volume 32))

Abstract

A physical method to solve a maze using an electric circuit is presented. The temperature increase due to Joule heating is observed with a thermal camera and the correct path is instantaneously enlightened. Various mazes are simulated with Kirchhoff’s circuit laws. Finally, the physical mechanisms explaining how the electric current chooses the correct path are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The title of this chapter is a tribute to the American sci-fi writer Robert Silverberg and his novel “The Man in the Maze”.

  2. 2.

    In the following discussion, we do not consider the thermal equilibration of the system, which requires more time than electric equilibration.

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Acknowledgements

The thermal camera was provided by the “unité de Formation et de Recherche de Physique” at Sorbonne Université, Faculté des Sciences et Ingénierie. The author is indebted to M. Fioc for his valuable comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sorbonne Université, Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, UMR CNRS 7590, IRD, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, IMPMC, 75005, Paris, France

    Simon Ayrinhac

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  1. Simon Ayrinhac
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Correspondence to Simon Ayrinhac .

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  1. Unconventional Computing Centre, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Andrew Adamatzky

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Ayrinhac, S. (2018). The Electron in the Maze. In: Adamatzky, A. (eds) Shortest Path Solvers. From Software to Wetware. Emergence, Complexity and Computation, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77510-4_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77510-4_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-77509-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-77510-4

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