https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190919165326.htm

The problem assumes what many of us can relate to when exhausted, encumbered, or desperate to be somewhere else: the best parking space is the one that minimizes time spent in the lot. So that space by the front door is ideal, unless you have to circle back three times to get it. In order to reduce the time spent driving around the lot AND walking across it, the efficient driver must decide whether to go for the close space, quickly park further out, or settle for something in-between.

"Mathematics allows you to make intelligent decisions," Redner says. "It allows you to approach a complex world with some insights."