Problems

	CONTESTS	PROBLEMS	ARTICLES	REGISTER	ABOUT	CONTACT

	Problem Title: Searching for a lost plane
	Year: 2015
	Student Level: Undergraduate
	Source: MCM
	Commentary: Yes (2)
	Student Papers: Yes (5)

	Problem
	Recall the lost Malaysian flight MH370. Build a generic mathematical model that could assist "searchers" in planning a useful search for a lost plane feared to have crashed in open water such as the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, or Arctic Ocean while flying from Point A to Point B. Assume that there are no signals from the downed plane. Your model should recognize that there are many different types of planes for which we might be searching and that there are many different types of search planes, often using different electronics or sensors. Additionally, prepare a 1-2 page non-technical paper for the airlines to use in their press conferences concerning their plan for future searches.

	Commentary
	Judges' Commentary: Lost Plane Problem Robert Burks Defense Analysis Dept. Naval Postgraduate School

	Judge's Commentary: The Frank Giordano Award for 2015 RichWest Francis Marion University

	Student Papers
	Team 32879: Into the Void: A Probabalistic Approach to the Search for Missing Aircraft University of Colorado Boulder, CO

	Team 36178: So You Lost a Plane? Bethel University, MN

	Team 38720: Hidden in Plane Sight: Finding Lost Airplanes Before Time Runs Out University of Colorado Boulder, CO

	Team 39173: Searching for a Lost Plane: A Probabilistic, Neighborhood-Based Model for Locating Transoceanic Flights Colorado College, CO

	Team 40612: Searching for a Lost Plane Tsinghua University, China

Problem Title: Searching for a lost plane