Prof. Larry Gray
After many years of trying to model vehicular traffic with various kinds of differential equations, a PhD student named Kai Nagel, discovered (together with his adviser Schreckenberg) that cellular automata can provide excellent models of traffic that have many advantages over those based on differential equations. I will discuss a variation of the Nagel-Schreckenberg model that is particularly amenable to rigorous mathematical analysis. Several computer simulations will be shown that illustrate the mechanisms by which traffic jams form and grow. This will provide you with something to think about the next time you are stuck in congested traffic on Interstate 94.
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