Translation (geometry) Translation (geometry) In Euclidean geometry, a translation is a geometric transformation that moves every point of a figure or a space by the same distance in a given direction. In Euclidean geometry a transformation is a one-to-one correspondence between two sets of points or a mapping from one plane to another. A translation can be described as a rigid motion: the other rigid motions are rotations, reflections and glide reflections. A translation can also be interpreted as the addition of a constant vector to every point, or as shifting the origin of the coordinate system. A translation operator is an
Bellman's lost in a forest problem Bellman's lost in a forest problem Bellman's lost-in-a-forest problem is an unsolved minimization problem in geometry, originating in 1955 by the American applied mathematician Richard E. Bellman. The problem is often stated as follows: ""A hiker is lost in a forest whose shape and dimensions are precisely known to him. What is the best path for him to follow to escape from the forest?"" It is usually assumed that the hiker does not know the starting point or direction he is facing. The best path is taken to be the one that minimizes the worst-case distance to travel before reaching