Okay. Here’s the paper written by James Crook on how you can solve Sudoku which we blogged about earlier. We must admit that we haven’t read it yet but those of you interested in reading this paper can click at the images to expand and to download them.
If you can simplify and synthesize the paper into easy steps that non-mathematicians can understand then please share your synthesis in the comments.
Thanks and good luck.
UPDATE: From an anonymous commenter below. We’re putting his/her comments here so you won’t miss it :-)
Actually, I think with a little effort any non-mathematician should be able to understand this paper because his so called ‘new algorithm’ is in fact no more than a summary of the logical and intuitive steps that any sudoku-solver will follow in his mind when solving the puzzle. Just maybe not exactly in that order.
I didn’t find any ‘new’ steps in his algorithm that I personally (or anyone I know, for that matter) haven’t already used to solve a sudoku.
So I’m sorry to tell you: he’s not the boogy man of sudoku’s, he’s not a sudoku genius, and he’s not going to take any fun out of solving them…..He just knows how to describe simple logical brainwork in a complicated way:)
Just to be complete: here’s a ‘summary’ of his ‘five’ steps that are actually three:
- fill in all ‘forced numbers’ = all cells that can logically only contain one number (isn’t this everyone’s first step?)
- search all rows, colums and boxes to eliminate or determine the possible numbers in the free cells (anyone surprised yet?)
- and then in the really hard sudoku’s you might have to make a random choice and see if it fits or notThat’s all he says…brilliant, right?:)
Thanks, Anonymous.
SOURCE: American Mathematics Society. You can download the PDF version of Mr. Crook’s paper here. [Note: PDF File]
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Actually, I think with a little effort any non-mathematician should be able to understand this paper because his so called ‘new algorithm’ is in fact no more than a summary of the logical and intuitive steps that any sudoku-solver will follow in his mind when solving the puzzle. Just maybe not exactly in that order.
I didn’t find any ‘new’ steps in his algorithm that I personally (or anyone I know, for that matter) haven’t already used to solve a sudoku.
So I’m sorry to tell you: he’s not the boogy man of sudoku’s, he’s not a sudoku genius, and he’s not going to take any fun out of solving them…..He just knows how to describe simple logical brainwork in a complicated way:)
Just to be complete: here’s a ‘summary’ of his ‘five’ steps that are actually three:
- fill in all ‘forced numbers’ = all cells that can logically only contain one number (isn’t this everyone’s first step?)
- search all rows, colums and boxes to eliminate or determine the possible numbers in the free cells (anyone surprised yet?)
- and then in the really hard sudoku’s you might have to make a random choice and see if it fits or not
That’s all he says…brilliant, right?:)
I once had a friend (in college, 30 some years ago) who wrote a thesis paper on using a door knob to open a door. It was some ten pages long, and could have been summarized, “Grasp, turn”.
I had my response to this paper all set, then read “Anonymous” and realized he said essentially what I planned.
Doesn’t take much to be a professor of mathematics, apparently.
He could eliminate steps 1 & 2, and just start guessing. It would be a simpler algorithm.
Imagine if you were taught by this guy…you’d be wanting a refund.
[...] Photo copies of Mr. Crook’s paper here. [...]