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Constraint propagation methods are also used in conjunction with search to make a given problem simpler to solve. Other considered kinds of constraints are on real or rational numbers; solving problems on these constraints is done via variable elimination or the simplex algorithm.
Constraint propagation techniques are methods used to modify a constraint satisfaction problem. More precisely, they are methods that enforce a form of local consistency, which are conditions related to the consistency of a group of variables and/or constraints. Constraint propagation has various uses.
AC-3 operates on constraints, variables, and the variables' domains (scopes). A variable can take any of several discrete values; the set of values for a particular variable is known as its domain. A constraint is a relation that limits or constrains the values a variable may have. The constraint may involve the values of other variables.
Constraint propagation in constraint satisfaction problems is a typical example of a refinement model, and formula evaluation in spreadsheets are a typical example of a perturbation model. The refinement model is more general, as it does not restrict variables to have a single value, it can lead to several solutions to the same problem.
The basic backtracking algorithm runs by choosing a literal, assigning a truth value to it, simplifying the formula and then recursively checking if the simplified formula is satisfiable; if this is the case, the original formula is satisfiable; otherwise, the same recursive check is done assuming the opposite truth value.
Constraint propagation works by reducing domains of variables, strengthening constraints, or creating new constraints. This leads to a reduction of the search space, making the problem easier to solve by some algorithms. Constraint propagation can also be used as an unsatisfiability checker, incomplete in general but complete in some particular ...
Constraint logic programming is a form of constraint programming, in which logic programming is extended to include concepts from constraint satisfaction. A constraint logic program is a logic program that contains constraints in the body of clauses. An example of a clause including a constraint is A (X, Y):-X + Y > 0, B (X), C (Y).
In constraint satisfaction, local search is an incomplete method for finding a solution to a problem. It is based on iteratively improving an assignment of the variables until all constraints are satisfied. In particular, local search algorithms typically modify the value of a variable in an assignment at each step.