Algorithmic Puzzles: History, Taxonomies, and Applications in Human Problem Solving

Abstract

The paper concerns an important but underappreciated genre of algorithmic puzzles, explaining what these puzzles are, reviewing milestones in their long history, and giving two different ways to classify them. Also covered are major applications of algorithmic puzzles in cognitive science research, with an emphasis on insight problem solving, and the advantages of algorithmic puzzles over some other classes of problems used in insight research. The author proposes adding algorithmic puzzles as a separate category of insight problems, suggests 12 specific puzzles that could be useful for research in insight problem solving, and outlines several experiments dealing with other cognitive aspects of solving algorithmic puzzles.

Shortest polygonal chains covering each planar square grid

“…The original puzzle by Samuel Loyd [6] did not introduce the additional constraint to visit each point only once, nor to came back to the starting point with the last edge of the path, and its planar generalization from G 2 3 to G 2 n (see References [5]& [7]) became quite popular on the Web at the beginning of the XXI century as a challenging brain teaser (for applications in cognitive psychology see also [2]& [3]).…”

Integration of Virtual Reality in the Control System of an Innovative Medical Robot for Single-Incision Laparoscopic Surgery

“…Starting from the functionalities presented in the use case diagram, five classes were designed and implemented, between which there are composition relations. The UML class diagram [47,48] represented in Figure 11 presents these five classes, the relation between them, and the used C# standard packages. These five classes are as follows: Starting from the functionalities presented in the use case diagram, five classes were designed and implemented, between which there are composition relations.…”

“…These five classes are as follows: Starting from the functionalities presented in the use case diagram, five classes were designed and implemented, between which there are composition relations. The UML class diagram [47,48] represented in Figure 11…”