The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP for short) is a classic problem in computer science. Wikipedia succinctly states the problem like so:
Given a list of cities and the distances between each pair of cities, what is the shortest possible route that visits each city exactly once and returns to the origin city? "Gottie is a teenaged math whiz who knows a little too much about subtraction. Her mother died when she was still a baby. Her best friend Thomas swore a blood oath to always be there for her, then disappeared to Canada and never wrote. And a summer ago, she lost her grandfather Grey, the one person who gave some order to the chaos of her family. Her secret boyfriend wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral, her father is so lost in his own grief that he's barely there, and her brother wants to party like there's nothing wrong. The only way she can cope with it all is to disappear slowly, stripping away all the people and things that once defined her in a desperate bid to escape her grief."
This week's Student of the Week is Lucas Salibian (big thanks to Natasha T for this simply fantastic photo!!)!
You ALL know Lucas. He's the intense, efficient computer guru of our school. You can find him VERY often in the computer room next to my room. If I had a nickel for every time Lucas came into my room to "borrow your keys so I can get into the computer room", I could likely take early retirement. At first, I used to decline or go check with the current computer teacher. But, eventually, I learned to just hand Lucas the keys and not sweat it. I'm not sure exactly what Lucas is doing over there all the time (he has tried to explain sometimes but I never comprehend fully), but he is always very focused at the task at hand. Lucas gets stuff done... FAST! And not just with computers. He decided he wanted to move ahead a little bit in Math this year. I believe he finished two chapters of PreCalculus 12 in about 10 days!! Not sure how he accomplished this while - undoubtedly - continuing with all his programming work. I wonder, sometimes, if this guy ever sleeps! Lucas is a pretty opinionated guy. Whether it is certain programming languages (don't say "Python" around him), various former and current students who "annoy" him, or inefficient math algorithms, Lucas is very vocal about his feelings. To be fair, he is just as animated about things that he DOES like / use / respect. You never wonder where you stand with Lucas. A couple interesting tidbits about Lucas and language: (1) Lucas speaks Spanish. I never knew until this year! In fact, another Spanish-speaker at our school informs me that "Lucas has the nicest Spanish accent of anyone at our school". Wow! Very cool! (2) Lucas also has some of the worst language at our school. hehehe. There are MANY times where I have shuddered as I hear Lucas arguing / discussing something with friends outside my room at lunch. He has a habit of inserting certain "colourful" words into his speech. Clean that up, LS!! :) Lucas is a very determined and talented guy. Even those of us (all of us?) who have no idea what he is up to with him computer work, can be pretty impressed with both his work ethic and his prodigious output. I know that the KG teachers all wonder "what will we do next year without Lucas to solve all our technology issues?" It's great to see someone who works hard at something they are passionate about. This definitely applies to you, Lucas. It is a certain recipe for success: work hard and do what you love! I am sure that you are going to love the greater challenge you will find at university and I know that you will do great! I wish you well! |
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