Algorithm X

Final Exam Exercises

Each puzzle in this section has been placed here because it can be solved as an exact cover problem and the Algorithm X setup is straightforward. These puzzles will test your Algorithm X knowledge without requiring problem-space reduction or complex strategies to enumerate actions.

After finishing each puzzle, look at just the code you wrote and consider the time and effort it took to pass all test cases. Considering the AlgorithmXSolver code you must include in your source file, your solution might sometimes feel or look like “overkill”. I contend that if the solver was in a package that you brought in with a single import statement, you might see things through a different lens. You might be more tempted to focus on how much easier Algorithm X made your process and how powerful it is to have a reusable architecture for a wide array of problems that are very similar after details are abstracted away.

Good luck!