dietlbomb
Member
I used to work for a company that manufactures missiles. Unlike rockets, missiles have the ability to change their trajectory to hit their target. The simplest algorithm used in missile guidance systems is called proportional navigation. Using proportional navigation, the guidance system steers the missile to drive the angular rate of the line-of-sight vector (the vector from the missile to the target) to zero. If the missile has enough agility to follow this rule, and if the missile is faster than the target, proportional navigation guarantees that the missile will hit the target.
In real life, we use proportional navigation (or something like it) intuitively. A great example is baseball players running to the exact spot they need to be to catch a fly ball. They run at a speed where the angle they are looking toward the ball is constant, and by doing so they easily catch the ball in stride.
In the discussion of the Black Riders' trajectory while pursuing Frodo to the Ford of Bruinen, I couldn't help but think of the concept of proportional navigation. I would think that the riders would behave similarly to trained athletes, and take the optimal path to intersect their target. Even though their horses were slower than Frodo's, they would intuitively follow this sort of path.
Read more about proportional navigation on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_navigation
Sorry this wasn't a question, but just an observation.
In real life, we use proportional navigation (or something like it) intuitively. A great example is baseball players running to the exact spot they need to be to catch a fly ball. They run at a speed where the angle they are looking toward the ball is constant, and by doing so they easily catch the ball in stride.
In the discussion of the Black Riders' trajectory while pursuing Frodo to the Ford of Bruinen, I couldn't help but think of the concept of proportional navigation. I would think that the riders would behave similarly to trained athletes, and take the optimal path to intersect their target. Even though their horses were slower than Frodo's, they would intuitively follow this sort of path.
Read more about proportional navigation on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_navigation
Sorry this wasn't a question, but just an observation.
