Constraint Satisfaction

Constraints are events, conditions or rules that limit our alternatives for completing a task. For example, the foundation of a building has to be laid before the framing is done; a car has to be refueled once every four hundred miles, a neurosurgeon is needed to perform brain surgery, or a Walkman can only operate on a 9-volt battery. Satisfying constraints is particularly important in scheduling complex activities. By first considering applicable constraints, the number of possible schedules to be considered in a search for an acceptable schedule can be reduced enormously, making the search process much more efficient. Constraint satisfaction techniques can be used to solve scheduling problems directly. Constraint satisfaction algorithms include heuristic constraint- based search and annealing.


Related Keywords:
Constraint Satisfaction, Constraints are events, conditions or rules that limit our alternatives for completing a task. For example, the foundation of a building has to be laid before the framing is done; a car has to be refueled once every four hundred miles, a neurosurgeon is needed to perform brain surgery, or a Walkman can only operate on a 9-volt battery. Satisfying constraints is particularly important in scheduling complex activities. By first considering applicable constraints, the number of possible schedules to be considered in a search for an acceptable schedule can be reduced enormously, making the search process much more efficient. Constraint satisfaction techniques can be used to solve scheduling problems directly. Constraint satisfaction algorithms include heuristic constraint- based search and annealing.,