I was sitting in a class where we are discussing formal methods and the best way to encode a problem for a symbolic model checker. NuSMV in case you care, although I know that you don’t. But that doesn’t matter. In fact, you must ignore that.
No, this is best taken out of context.
Imagine a room with six fairly intelligent people sitting around talking about wolves, goats, and cabbage. Pause for a second. Let the absurdity bloom.
The problem at hand is a resource management problem which will no doubt be familiar to you. It was given to us in the form of a ferryman who wants to transport a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across the river. His motivations are left a mystery to us. He can’t leave the wolf alone with the goat or the goat alone with the cabbage. Presumably the wolf has no interest in the cabbage. Due to craptastic ferry design his ferry can only accommodate one item at a time.
I sometimes have the problem where I’ll forcibly remove myself from the context of the salutation because I find it humorous to do so. I’m having trouble staying focused in the class at this point. My thoughts are wandering. The fact that a bunch of computer scientists are sitting around making various assertions about goats and cabbages is really too much for me to handle. What would a person walking by think? It’s too delightful not to ponder their befuddlement. Also, there are other issues to consider…
How big must that head of cabbage be? It must be nearly as large as a goat or a wolf it must fit in the ferry by itself. What a crappy ferry the ferryman has. I bet he is poor. Does he do this for a living? You’d think he’d have a bigger ferry that could actually transport something if he was a professional. I wonder if the ferryman is going to the state fair with his huge head of cabbage in order to try and win a blue ribbon...
Amongst the assertions being made about the problem at hand, such as: “If goat equal cabbage or goat equal wolf, then goat implies ferryman” and “Hmmm. I think I would encode that: not, not goat equal cabbage, and not goat equal wolf, or goat equal ferryman.” One of the professors makes the following statement, ”When I first heard this problem there wasn’t cabbage involved, I think that must be an artifact of the book’s authors being British.”
I dutifully add, “I seem to remember a chicken being involved…..” But I am interrupted by the professor… “Yes, that’s right; if you left the goat alone with the chicken he would eat the chicken.”
Oh my. The students swivel their heads around, making eye contact, verifying that the professor just indicated that a goat would eat a chicken. How fantastic. My concentration is shot for good.
Instead, for the last hour of class I am entertained in my mind’s eye. The scene is always the same. I am standing there on the shore of some bucolic river. From behind me I hear a sickening crunch. I hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet and a headless chicken comes running into my field of view. I turn around and see a goat with blood stained chin lazily chewing. Oh crap, I knew I should have brought that huge cabbage instead...
No, this is best taken out of context.
Imagine a room with six fairly intelligent people sitting around talking about wolves, goats, and cabbage. Pause for a second. Let the absurdity bloom.
The problem at hand is a resource management problem which will no doubt be familiar to you. It was given to us in the form of a ferryman who wants to transport a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across the river. His motivations are left a mystery to us. He can’t leave the wolf alone with the goat or the goat alone with the cabbage. Presumably the wolf has no interest in the cabbage. Due to craptastic ferry design his ferry can only accommodate one item at a time.
I sometimes have the problem where I’ll forcibly remove myself from the context of the salutation because I find it humorous to do so. I’m having trouble staying focused in the class at this point. My thoughts are wandering. The fact that a bunch of computer scientists are sitting around making various assertions about goats and cabbages is really too much for me to handle. What would a person walking by think? It’s too delightful not to ponder their befuddlement. Also, there are other issues to consider…
How big must that head of cabbage be? It must be nearly as large as a goat or a wolf it must fit in the ferry by itself. What a crappy ferry the ferryman has. I bet he is poor. Does he do this for a living? You’d think he’d have a bigger ferry that could actually transport something if he was a professional. I wonder if the ferryman is going to the state fair with his huge head of cabbage in order to try and win a blue ribbon...
Amongst the assertions being made about the problem at hand, such as: “If goat equal cabbage or goat equal wolf, then goat implies ferryman” and “Hmmm. I think I would encode that: not, not goat equal cabbage, and not goat equal wolf, or goat equal ferryman.” One of the professors makes the following statement, ”When I first heard this problem there wasn’t cabbage involved, I think that must be an artifact of the book’s authors being British.”
I dutifully add, “I seem to remember a chicken being involved…..” But I am interrupted by the professor… “Yes, that’s right; if you left the goat alone with the chicken he would eat the chicken.”
Oh my. The students swivel their heads around, making eye contact, verifying that the professor just indicated that a goat would eat a chicken. How fantastic. My concentration is shot for good.
Instead, for the last hour of class I am entertained in my mind’s eye. The scene is always the same. I am standing there on the shore of some bucolic river. From behind me I hear a sickening crunch. I hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet and a headless chicken comes running into my field of view. I turn around and see a goat with blood stained chin lazily chewing. Oh crap, I knew I should have brought that huge cabbage instead...
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