Sudoku Solutions: A Comparative Analysis of Breadth-First Search, Depth-First Search, and Human Approaches

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Sudoku Solutions: A Comparative Analysis of Breadth-First Search, Depth-First Search, and Human Approaches
Language: English
Authors: Norizan Mat Diah (ORCID 0000-0002-3785-948X), Syahirul Riza (ORCID 0009-0006-4800-0466), Suzana Ahmad (ORCID 0000-0001-7233-7495), Norzilah Musa (ORCID 0000-0002-3820-2930), Shakirah Hashim (ORCID 0000-0002-5941-8968)
Source: Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn). 2025 19(1):561-569.
Availability: Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. C5 Plumbon, Banguntapan, Yogyakarta, 55198, Indonesia. e-mail: edulearn@uad.ac.id; Web site: http://edulearn.intelektual.org/index.php/EduLearn/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 9
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Puzzles, Artificial Intelligence, Problem Solving, Algorithms, Difficulty Level
ISSN: 2089-9823
2302-9277
Abstract: Sudoku is a puzzle that has a unique solution. No matter how many methods are used, the result will always be the same. The player thought that the number of givens or clues, the initial value on the Sudoku puzzles, would significantly determine the difficulty level, which is not necessarily correct. This research uses two search algorithms, breadth-first search (BFS) and depth-first search (DFS), to solve a set of Sudoku puzzles based on the number of givens. The Sudoku puzzles are chosen based on the number of givens between 32 and 35. In cases where Sudoku puzzles are considered medium or intermediate difficulty, the solutions generated by both algorithms will be compared with the human-solving approach. The research aims to determine whether humans tend to solve Sudoku puzzles with solutions resembling those generated by BFS or DFS. Furthermore, if all three approaches-human, BFS, DFS-yield comparable solutions, the Sudoku puzzle has only one unique solution.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1457140
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Sudoku is a puzzle that has a unique solution. No matter how many methods are used, the result will always be the same. The player thought that the number of givens or clues, the initial value on the Sudoku puzzles, would significantly determine the difficulty level, which is not necessarily correct. This research uses two search algorithms, breadth-first search (BFS) and depth-first search (DFS), to solve a set of Sudoku puzzles based on the number of givens. The Sudoku puzzles are chosen based on the number of givens between 32 and 35. In cases where Sudoku puzzles are considered medium or intermediate difficulty, the solutions generated by both algorithms will be compared with the human-solving approach. The research aims to determine whether humans tend to solve Sudoku puzzles with solutions resembling those generated by BFS or DFS. Furthermore, if all three approaches-human, BFS, DFS-yield comparable solutions, the Sudoku puzzle has only one unique solution.
ISSN:2089-9823
2302-9277