So You Lost a Plane-2015美赛原版-L文.pdfVIP

In this paper, we develop a model for finding a plane that was lost over a large body of water. Our model is very robust and can be used by searchers throughout the entire search process. Using only basic information about the flight and its last known location and heading, we are able to carefully calculate the area where the plane might have gone down. This area is not just a simple circle - the area is limited by the turn radius of the plane and by the maximum distance the plane could have traveled after losing communications. Once our initial search area is determined, our model calculates how ocean currents would cause the search area would move from day to day, as well as change shape. And when debris has been found, the same ocean current calculations can be used in reverse to trace debris back to the original location of the crash. Our model also implements three different algorithms for searching the area determined by our previous calculations. Our algorithms are very flexible, and adapt to changing weather conditions, number of search planes available, and the size of the area to search. Based on detailed analysis of these three algorithms in over 900 unique search scenarios, our model was able to recommend the ideal algorithm for finding any lost plane. Given any combination of factors for a search, our model can predict the number of days it will take to find debris in that region. 本资料由迈思数模整理： Team # 36178 Page 1 of 17 So You Lost a Plane? February 10, 2015 Contents 1 Introduction to Problem 3 2 Assumptions and Parame