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I guess to me if still _feels_ a bit like brute force. You just go over all the squares and all the rules in a loop, adding and eliminating possible digits. The
by thom 6y ago
I guess to me if still _feels_ a bit like brute force. You just go over all the squares and all the rules in a loop, adding and eliminating possible digits. There don't seem to be any sticking points where it's not clear how to make progress.
- GreedCtrl 6y agoThe "exploration and backtracking" you mention originally is the brute force method of solving sudoku by computer: recursive backtracking. If you want an example of sticking points, I'd recommend the Robin Hood sudoku: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdtWTg4LrqQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdtWTg4LrqQ It can be brute forced with enough patience, but the fun for me comes in developing intuition on where to look next. The hints of a sudoku have meaning: they lead to the completed grid. Finding the next step in the puzzle amounts to understanding some of its construction.
- thom 6y agoI guess the bit I'm missing is why the miracle sudoku (the two I can find) are special. As far as I can tell, they don't require any intuition at all, you just sit down and work through the rules that are right in front of you. Surely they're much easier than normal sudoku because of the extra rules? Are they noteworthy because of the construction of the puzzle, rather than the solving of it?