A team of constraint agents with diverse viewpoints can find a solution to a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) when the individual agents have an incomplete view of the problem. In this paper we present a method of solving constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) using cooperating constraint agents where each agent has a different representation of a particular CSP. Agents assist one another...

We show that solving jigsaw puzzles requires Θ(n ) edge matching comparisons, making them as hard as their trivial upper bound. This result generalises to puzzles of all shapes, and is applicable to both pictorial and apictorial puzzles.

We explore a method for computing admissible heuristic evaluation functions for search problems. It utilizes pattern databases (Culberson & Schaeffer, 1998), which are precomputed tables of the exact cost of solving various subproblems of an existing problem. Unlike standard pattern database heuristics, however, we partition our problems into disjoint subproblems, so that the costs of solving t...

Sudoku is a popular combinatorial puzzle. A new method of solving Sudoku is presented, which involves formulating a puzzle as a special type of transportation problem. This model allows one to solve puzzles with more than one solution, keeping the constraints of the problem fixed, and simply changing a cost matrix between solutions.

We consider apictorial edge-matching puzzles, in which the goal is to arrange a collection of puzzle pieces with colored edges so that the colors match along the edges of adjacent pieces. We devise an algebraic representation for this problem and provide conditions under which it exactly characterizes a puzzle. Using the new representation, we recast the combinatorial, discrete problem of solvi...

How do instructions help people solving complex puzzles? We studied a problem solving task (Which of the 12 balls is heavier or lighter than the rest?) using detailed analyses of problem solving steps to assess what cognitive biases, heuristics and strategies were used. First, we found that all participants effectively used means-ends analysis. Second, in the absence of instructions or observat...