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Blocking of geodesics and other stories

Eugene Gutkin
Nicolaus Copernicus University

Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems

Organisers: Andrew Ferguson, Thomas Jordan

ABSTRACT
The subject grew out of a math olympiad problem: The prez and an assassin
are in a room with reflecting walls. Assassin's bullets would
hit the prez even after any number of ricochets off the walls.
As a result, the assassin has at his disposal infinitely many deadly
possibilities. The presidential security detail instantaneously
position themselves at spots where they will intercept
optimal subsets of deadly bullets.
Can a finite number of security guards protect the prez?

I will talk about mathematical ramifications of this question.