Reminds me of a huge and heavy hard cover book I own called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_New_Kind_of_Science
If I recall, Wolfram talked about how there is no room in the universe for the size of computer needed to predict the next state of this universe. That might imply we're not simulated.
We're going to be using the TSP in the VIVAconomy to determine the best way to distribute assets. I've worked with it in the past when I was an Engineer in an AI lab. It can be approached in an analog way as builderofcastles suggests, and those analog ways can be simulated digitally much like music is via MP3s etc.
I'm rambling! Thanks for getting my brain thinking about cool things!
Please ramble away! Very interesting ramblings :-) Yes @builderofcastles did indeed identify the analogue way for shortest distance, however it doesn't take into account cost and of course one has to do it over and over again to verify the right answer.
In fact, you would probably be checking for an NP amount of time! :-D
Cryptogee
Good point! One thing we always considered in the AI lab is - it is often better to quickly get an adequate answer than take lots of time to get a perfect answer. Take some time to make sure you aren't stuck in a local energy well by jumping around a lot, but eventually produce an answer without knowing if hoping over that next mountain will land you in an even lower valley, where the lowest landscape point is the best answer.
We were doing expert systems for the military, and a good quick answer is better than a slow perfect answer that you are too dead to use.
Yes, as is often the case these questions are kind of perfect world scenarios, and are just there for the sake of sound theory. But yes, an aproximate answer is better than no answer at all.
Cryptogee