From: Kero <kero@...>
Date: 2006-01-03T19:17:58+09:00
Subject: Re: Numeric Maze (#60)

> Actually this seems to be a better view of the pattern.
> Notice that the leftmost bits are coaxed into matching the leftmost bits of
> the solution first, and then work to the right.

[snip 8 solutions]

I like that view.

Does that mean you can go from the source to any prefix of the target? The
shortest route from a prefix to the target is known, even though you show two
solutions near the end (for an odd number; their length is equal and both
follow a strict recipe).

If so, I'm sure it helps when the target is bigger than the source (or more
precisely, when the target is bigger than an intermediate number) and it
does not hurt when the target is smaller. However, I doubt it beats the
approach where searching starts from both source and target (as I saw at
least once, today), unless the target is significantly bigger (i.e. the
route from the prefix to the target is longer than from the source to the
prefix).

I do not see any shortcuts from the source to the prefix.
Anybody see a way to prune that?