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A comment on The 17x17 problem solved. Parent comment

Re:The 17x17 problem solved by cheald on Sunday February 12, 2012 @07:02PM (#3583512)
Short answer: 4^(17*17) combinations to try, and each combination requires an expensive test before you can pass/fail it. Plug that number into Wolfram Alpha alongside things like "age of the universe" for some perspective on just how massive the search space is.
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Re:The 17x17 problem solved by rorrr on Monday February 13, 2012 @01:21AM (#3584474)
The search space a lot smaller, since you can cut many incorrect branches very early.
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Re:The 17x17 problem solved by cheald on Monday February 13, 2012 @02:35AM (#3584633)
Yes, but as noted in the post mvzink linked, you can't cut it to the point that an exhaustive search is feasible.
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