November 2024
Intermediate to advanced
416 pages
11h 11m
English
The uses of graph search algorithms extend beyond searching paths between physical places or virtual links between items. They also apply to a wide range of more abstract problems, such as solving puzzles or devising strategies in games.
Many puzzles can be represented by a set of discrete states that capture the different configurations of the puzzle. Solving the puzzle might then consist of using a sequence of steps to transition from the initial state to some predefined goal state. This could correspond to moving discs on a Tower of Hanoi puzzle, moving people in a river-crossing puzzle, or rearranging tiles in a slider ...