Groups > comp.lang.python > #41979

Sudoku

Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Date	2013-03-26 22:44 -0700
Message-ID	<e45b8b75-ff89-4ee1-9ada-bfda3d06d05d@googlegroups.com> (permalink)
Subject	Sudoku
From	Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com>

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I downloaded the following program from somewhere using a link from Wikipedia and inserted the “most difficult Sudoku puzzle ever” string into it and ran it. It worked fine and solved the puzzle in about 4 seconds. However I cannot understand how it works. It seems to go backwards and forwards at random. Can anyone explain how it works in simple terms?
Eric.


def same_row(i,j): return (i/9 == j/9)
def same_col(i,j): return (i-j) % 9 == 0
def same_block(i,j): return (i/27 == j/27 and i%9/3 == j%9/3)

def r(a):
  i = a.find('0')
  if i == -1:
    print a
    exit(a)

  excluded_numbers = set()
  for j in range(81):
    if same_row(i,j) or same_col(i,j) or same_block(i,j):
      excluded_numbers.add(a[j])

  for m in '123456789':
    if m not in excluded_numbers:
      # At this point, m is not excluded by any row, column, or block, so let's place it and recurse
      r(a[:i]+m+a[i+1:])

r('800000000003600000070090200050007000000045700000100030001000068008500010090000400')
Sudoku solver where the puzzle is an 81 character string representing the puzzle read left-to-right, top-to-bottom, and 0 is a blank.

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Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-26 22:44 -0700
  Re: Sudoku Ulrich Eckhardt <ulrich.eckhardt@dominolaser.com> - 2013-03-27 08:58 +0100
    Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-27 20:00 -0700
      Re: Sudoku Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-03-28 00:36 -0400
        Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-28 15:11 -0700
          Re: Sudoku Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-03-28 19:28 -0400
            Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-28 22:07 -0700
            Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-28 22:07 -0700
          Re: Sudoku Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-03-29 09:45 +1100
            Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-29 14:47 -0700
              Re: Sudoku Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-03-29 18:11 -0400
                Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-30 15:06 -0700
                Re: Sudoku Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-03-30 19:15 -0400
                Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-31 15:03 -0700
                Re: Sudoku Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-03-31 18:34 -0400
                Re: Sudoku Arnaud Delobelle <arnodel@gmail.com> - 2013-03-31 23:59 +0100
                Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-31 15:03 -0700
                Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-31 15:27 -0700
                Re: Sudoku Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-04-01 09:35 +1100
                Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-31 20:58 -0700
                Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-31 15:27 -0700
                Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-30 15:06 -0700
            Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-29 14:47 -0700
        Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-28 15:11 -0700
  Re: Sudoku Damien Wyart <damien.wyart@free.fr> - 2013-03-27 09:49 +0100
  Re: Sudoku Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-03-27 05:38 -0400
  Re: Sudoku Eric Parry <joan4eric@gmail.com> - 2013-03-27 19:49 -0700

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