The Furnace Bots | Think Like A Coder, Ep 3

翻译人员: Sicheng Lu 校对人员: Jiasi Hao

[ 像程序员一样思考 ]

[ 地点：BRADBARRIER ]

[ 第三集 炉膛机器人 ]

[ 音乐 ]

Ethic and her robot Hedge agree to help the resistance leader, Adila,

艾斯克和她的机器人海吉 同意帮助反对运动的领袖，埃迪拉，

sabotage the art-incinerating furnace-bots.

密谋破坏 焚毁艺术品的炉膛机器人。

In exchange,

作为交换，

Adila promises to lead them to the first object of Ethic’s quest,

埃迪拉保证会带领他们 前往艾斯克要寻找的第一个物品——

an artifact called the Node of Power.

一个名为“能量晶石”的神器。

Years ago, there was just one furnace-bot.

几年之前，只有一个炉膛机器人，

It had a 0 inside its furnace and an unknown,

在它的炉膛里有一个数字 0 ，

和另一个未知的、任意生成的编码。

randomly generated serial number.

Over time, the original self-replicated to produce more identical furnace-bots.

随着时间的推移，

原始的机器人自我复制， 制造了更多一样的炉膛机器人。

Each child inherited the original’s unknown serial number within its furnace,

每一个子机器人的熔炉内 都继承了初始机器人未知的编码，

and had a random, unique serial number of its own inscribed on its shell.

并且有一个属于自己的 独一无二的任意编码刻于其外壳。

The second generation of furnace- bots also self-replicated in the same way,

第二代炉膛机器人 也通过同样的方法自我复制，

always passing their own serial numbers to their offspring’s furnaces.

永远将属于自己的编码 传承给自己子机器人的熔炉。

This continued on for many generations.

就这样传承了很多代。

Today, each furnace-bot receives its orders from its parent.

如今，每一个炉膛机器人 都从自己的母机器人那接收指令。

So if Ethic can find the original 0 bot and somehow change its instructions,

所以，如果艾斯克可以找到 初始零号机器人并改变它的指令，

she could take over the entire army, all at once.

她就可以一次性掌控 整个机器人军队。

Adila has the perfect solution:

埃迪拉有个完美的解决办法：

a data crystal that she’s been carrying for years,

一个她带在身上很多年的数据水晶

waiting for the right moment to activate it.

正等待着合适的时机被激活。

It contains a program designed to gain control of a bot

水晶内包含一个程序，

这个程序能操控一个机器人 并且给它新指令。

and give it new instructions.

But if it’s uploaded to any furnace- bot other than the original,

但是如果它被上传到 任何除 0 之外的炉膛机器人上，

the 0 bot will override the instructions

零号机器人就会覆盖这个指令，

and destroy the data crystal in the process.

同时摧毁数据水晶。

The feeding is just a few minutes away,

离喂食开始只有几分钟，

and there’s only one chance to get this right.

成功的机会只有一次。

Fortunately, Hedge’s ability to store data can help.

幸运的是，海吉存储数据的能力 可以派上用场。

In programming,

在编程的时候，

a piece of information gets stored in something called a variable.

信息被储存在 一个称为变量的东西里。

Variables are basically containers that hold onto numbers, words, or other values.

变量就是保存数字、单词 和其他量数的容器。

How does Ethic program Hedge to find the original 0 bot as quickly as possible?

艾斯克要如何为海吉编写程序， 让它最快地找到零号机器人呢？

Pause now to figure it out for yourself.

[ 可暂停播放自行解题 ]

Here’s a hint.

提示如下：

Programs can be written to have as many variables as you need,

程序可以被编写成 包含任意数量的变量，

but you can solve this problem with just one.

但你只需要用一个变量 就能解决这个问题。

Hedge can use it to store a serial number

海吉可以用这个变量储存一个编码，

and replace it with a new one as often as he needs.

然后随时用新的编码将其替换。

Pause now to figure it out for yourself.

[ 可暂停播放自行解题 ]

A key insight here is that Hedge doesn’t need to map out the entire

一个重要的切入点是

海吉不需要画出整张关系图 来寻找原始机器人。

set of relationships to find the original furnace-bot.

If, for example, he gets lucky and picks the original one right away,

假设，如果它幸运地 一下就选中了原始零号机器人，

he’ll be done.

它的任务就完成了。

But if he starts with any other bot,

但如果他从其他任何一个机器人开始，

he can still find a path that leads straight back to the 0-bot

通过执行一组简单的指令，

by following a simple set of instructions.

它仍然能找到 一条直通零号机器人的途径。

To help craft them, let’s first simplify the problem.

为生成这个指令， 首先我们需要简化这个问题。

假设只有三个炉膛机器人： 一个母机器人和两个子机器人，

Let’s say there were only three furnace-bots;

a parent and two children, but you don’t know which is which.

但你不知道谁是谁，

You could have Hedge pick one at random and look inside its furnace.

你可以让海吉 任意选择一个检查它的熔炉。

Now, you know the family tree looks like this.

现在，你知道系谱图长这个样子：

If the number inside the furnace is a 0, you’ve found the parent.

如果熔炉内的编码是 0 ， 那么你找到了母机器人。

If not, then no matter which child you chose,

如果不是， 那么不论你选择哪一个，

it must have the parent’s serial number in its furnace.

它的熔炉内必定都有母机器人的编码。

So in this scenario, you’re guaranteed to find the parent in one or two moves.

所以在这种情况下， 你必定会在两步之内找到母机器人。

In actuality, there are many furnace-bots,

现实情况中，有无数的炉膛机器人，

and you don’t know how many generations there are

而且你也不知道现在有多少代机器人，

nor what the family tree looks like.

也不知道系谱图的样子。

But you don’t need to,

但其实你不需要知道，

because Hedge can just keep repeating the same sequence of actions

因为海吉可以 一直重复执行相同的动作

until he gets to the original.

直到它找到初始的零号机器人。

How? With a loop.

如何办到？使用循环指令。

Hedge can pick any bot at random, look inside its furnace,

海吉可以选择任意一个机器人， 检查它的熔炉，

and store that serial number as a variable.

并且将其的编码作为变量储存。

Then he’ll begin the following loop that will repeat

然后它将执行以下循环指令 直到储存变量等于 0 ，

until the stored variable equals 0,

即，初始机器人的编码：

the furnace number of the original bot:

1. Find the bot whose shell serial number matches the stored number.

1、找到外壳上的编码 等于储存编码的机器人。

2. Look inside its furnace.

2、检查它的熔炉。

3. Store that new number, overwriting the old one.

3、储存这个新的编码，覆盖旧的编码。

Once the loop ends, we’ll know that Hedge has found the 0 bot,

一旦这个循环指令结束， 我们就知道海吉找到了零号机器人，

so he should upload the control program.

随后它就应该立刻上传控制程序。

So here’s what happens:

情况是这样的：

Hedge only takes 5 repetitions to find the original:

海吉只用 5 个循环就找到了初始机器人；

robot 733 has the 0 in its furnace.

733 号机器人的熔炉内有编码 0 。

In a blink of a mechanical eye,

一眨眼的时间，

the program spreads through the entire army, and Adila takes control.

程序散播到整个机器人军团， 埃迪拉因此获得了控制权。

She has the furnace-bots give off theatrical bouts of flame

她让炉膛机器人假装放出火焰

to hide the fact that they’re now secretly safe-guarding

来掩饰它们其实在暗中

all of that artistic output.

保护所有的文艺作品的事实。

Now that Ethic’s delivered the furnace-bots,

现在，艾斯克交出了炉膛机器人，

Adila honors her end of the deal.

埃迪拉也信守承诺，

She leads Ethic and Hedge to the location of the first artifact,

她带领艾斯克和海吉 去了第一件神器——

the Node of Power.

“能量晶石”的存放地。

There, one thing is immediately clear:

在那，他们立即了解到一件事：

they’ll have to steal it.

他们得将它偷出来。