Speaker: Angela Fischer
Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
Time: 6:15 PM
Place: Trustee Hall 203
Supervisor: Dr. Cynthia Verjovsky Marcotte
Title: Color Mazes

Abstract: A color maze is a n x n grid with an entrance and exit cell & direction, in which the color designates the possible directions one may travel from cell to cell until the exit is reached (if there is a solution). Color mazes have not been formally studied before, yet they pose interesting mathematical questions: What percent of mazes have no solution for a given ? What constitutes a “trivial” maze? My project involves two color choices, one for the forward direction and another that allows for a choice in right or left direction. The ultimate goal is to determine what the correct measure of complexity of a maze is. I wrote a program that for each unique n x n color maze determines whether a solution exists, and if so, what the shortest solution path is. This allows for the analysis of the solutions found, including what percent of mazes have a solution as well as be able to identifying patterns of mazes that have no solution, or have a trivial solution. I hope to identify what complexity is in relation to the solutions and to determine if a pattern exists among the more complex solutions.