Waiting for the bus? Mathematics says it's worth rather than walking

London, Jan 24 (UNI) Should I take a bus or walk down ? Well, mathematicians have the answer to this dilemma which says your journey by bus will be quicker even if waiting does leave you frazzled.

To the delight of lazy people , mathematicians have come up with the answer that it is almost always better to sit down and hang on for the bus.

According to their sums, you will tend to get where you are going faster by swallowing your impatience and waiting at the first stop, no matter how frustrating it might be, the Daily Mail reported.

Using d for distance, I for bus stop, n for the number of bus stops and v for velocity or speed, they came up with various complex equations which all backed the theory that you should wait at the first stop.

Justin Chen, from the California Institute of Technology, and Scott Kominers and Robert Wyatt Sinnott, both from Harvard ,US, were inspired to look into the conundrum after considering whether Mr Chen would be better off relying on the sporadic bus service or walking to Mr Kominers's house for a meeting.

In only extreme cases where there is fewer than one bus an hour and the desired destination is very close will the strategy fail.

The report is puplished in 'New Scientist' magazine.

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