Sudoku Solvers Think They Have All The Answers
If you see someone walking around with sharp pencil in their hand and a glazed look in their eyes, chances are they are devoted Sudoku solvers looking for the next grid to solve. While touted as a game of logic and logical thinking, this extremely addictive, often time-consuming hobby can turn even the most logical person into someone that practically lives and breaths Sudoku puzzles. Sudoku solvers are not limited to solving puzzles on paper as many of them also have the games on the home computer or in a dedicated handheld computer that regenerate new puzzles every time they are fired up.
Besides the human Sudoku solvers, many people have developed software that purports to solve virtually any puzzle whether it was developed by computer or by hand. By entering in the numbers given at the start of any puzzle, the computerized Sudoku solvers can quickly calculate the correct answers. While many people shun the use of this software, it is beneficial to puzzle creators to check if they are on the right track to develop a puzzle that can actually be solved.
There have been a few puzzles developed that have their initial clues in places that make them impossible to solve, whether using logic, trial and error or computerized Sudoku solvers. Developers of commercial puzzles often use them to insure their puzzles are so difficult that people lose interest in attempting them.
Books Should Always Provide The Same Answer
Since Sudoku puzzles are based on logic, regardless of the number of clues given there can be only one answer to a puzzle. There is nothing subjective about working with numbers and while the game does not focus on math, it does focus on the established sequence that can be understood by Sudoku solvers. Software also has the patience to withstand the rigors of solving even the most difficult puzzles, something often lacking among the human Sudoku solvers.
Different computer languages are being used to develop Sudoku solvers from Java language to Haskell, but the bottom line is, regardless of the language with which Sudoku solvers are written the same puzzle with the same clues should yield the same solution. Although most avid Sudoku players will only turn to their use in the rare instance that their patience wears thin and they believe the puzzle in unsolvable.
Different variations of computerized Sudoku solvers are available and the types of puzzles that can contend with will also vary. Some of the more basic solvers only work with the 81-number grid while other work with many different types of puzzles.
