HW045
Math 2984 - Fall 2017
Intro to Mathematical Problem Solving


TASK: What is the average number of times a random walk visits the square labeled 0?


COMMENT: A random walk on a sidewalk of "width" [-n,+n] starts at 0, and then repeatedly steps one unit to the left or right, continuing until reaching -n or +n. The function "walker_1d", given an input "n", will return in "track" the successive locations visited in a sample random walk. The first entry in "track" will be 0, but it's possible that the walk will return to 0 several times before finishing. The purpose of this exercise is to estimate, for a given value of n, how many times this is likely to happen.


INSTRUCTIONS: write a function "hw045" that takes a value n and estimates the number of times a random walk on a sidewalk of "width" [-n,+n] will visit the square labeled "0". You will need to copy the function "walker_1d.m" from the "homework" directory.

        write the function header with the output "home", the function name, 
        and the input "n".

        Initialize home to 0.

        Use a "for" statement that repeats 1000 times
          Call "walker_1d", getting a vector "track".
          Set i to a logical vector which is true for each entry of "track" that is 0.
          Set visits to be the number of "1" values in "i".  
            Don't use a FOR statement to count the visits! 
            Instead, figure out how to use a "logical" 
            vector of 1's and 0's, and then sum it!
          Add "visits" to home.

        Once the for statement is complete, average "home" by dividing by 1000.
      


CHECK: n = 10; home = hw045 ( n ); Because your calculation depends on random experiments, you will get a different answer each time. However, if n = 10, your answer should be roughly 10.


SUBMIT: Your script file should be named "hw045.m", and begin with:

        % hw045.m
        % YOUR NAME
        % This script (describe what it does)