Traffic physics
The physics of traffic can as a special discipline of physics or traffic sciences are considered, which deals with the study of systems and processes of the transport sector is concerned. The models resulting from the mathematical description must be reproducible, falsifiable , experimental or empirically-statistically verifiable and predictive. Typical fields of work in traffic physics are e.g. B. the description of general traffic processes (mechanics / kinetics ) and collective traffic processes, such as B. the description of the behavior of a traffic flow from pedestrians on a footpath.
The investigation of classic public transport systems is not part of the task of transport physics, because these are usually centrally organized systems. Ideally, these systems would function according to the previously defined processes ( timetable , process flow chart). Every process sequence in a public transport system is therefore "made to measure" and is valid in the respective system environment with the corresponding boundary and secondary conditions (task of traffic engineering ). Traffic physics, on the other hand, looks for generally valid and empirically verifiable relationships.
In the past few years, significant knowledge has been gained on the behavior of road traffic , especially in traffic jam research (see traffic jam , fundamental diagram ). The suitability of considering road traffic as an object of work in traffic physics arises from the fact that a motor vehicle - more precisely: its driver - reacts in road traffic according to certain rules (e.g. accelerating , braking , changing lanes) and has some typical properties (e.g. reaction time and intensity). These parameters can be used to mathematically describe the behavior of individual vehicles and the entire system. The resulting models can be simulated in "dry runs". In particular, extreme traffic conditions can be investigated (e.g. very high proportion of trucks, speed restrictions on motorways, etc.); different scenarios can be tried out and compared with one another.
See also
- Traffic planning
- evacuation
- Traffic econometrics
- Traffic statistics
- Three-phase traffic theory
- Nagel-Schreckenberg model
literature
- Boris S. Kerner: The Physics of Traffic . Empirical Freeway Pattern Features, Engineering Applications, and Theory. In: Understanding Complex Systems . 1st edition. Springer Verlag, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-540-20716-3 (English).
- Driver, Martin and Kesting, Arne. Traffic dynamics and simulation - data, models and applications of traffic flow dynamics , Springer textbook, 2010