Traveling Salesman Visualization

A Processing application that visualizes the classic Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) using a brute-force approach to find the optimal route between cities.

Requirements

• Processing 4.0+
• Java 8 or higher

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Jimmyu2foru18/Traveling-Salesman.git

2. Open the project in Processing:

   • Launch Processing IDE
   • File -> Open -> Navigate to Traveling_Salesman.pde

Running the Application

1. Click the "Run" button in Processing IDE, or press Ctrl + R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + R (Mac)
2. The application will:
   • Generate 10 random cities
   • Calculate the optimal route
   • Display an animation of the route

Project Structure

• Traveling_Salesman.java - Main application code
• Instructions.md - Detailed documentation of how the application works
• README.md - This file

How It Works

The application:

1. Generates random cities on an 800x800 canvas
2. Uses a brute-force algorithm to find the shortest possible route
3. Visualizes the route with:
   • Black dots representing cities
   • Red lines showing the optimal path
   • Blue dot animating the journey between cities

Limitations

• Due to the brute-force approach, the application works best with 10 or fewer cities
• Performance decreases exponentially with additional cities due to factorial time complexity

Acknowledgments

• Based on the Traveling Salesman Problem, a classic computer science challenge
• Built with Processing, a flexible software sketchbook