UNIT -4

CONSTRAINT SATISFICATION PROBLEMS

Constraint satisfaction is a technique where a problem is
solved when its values satisfy certain constraints or rules of
the problem. Such type of technique leads to a deeper
understanding of the problem structure as well as its
complexity.
Constraint satisfaction depends on three components, namely:
•X: It is a set of variables.
•D: It is a set of domains where the variables reside. There is a
specific domain for each variable.
•C: It is a set of constraints which are followed by the set of
variables.
Solving Constraint Satisfaction Problems
The requirements to solve a constraint satisfaction
problem (CSP) is:
•A state-space
•The notion of the solution.
An assignment of values to a variable can be done in three
ways:
•Consistent or Legal Assignment: An assignment which does not
violate any constraint or rule is called Consistent or legal
assignment.
•Complete Assignment: An assignment where every variable is
assigned with a value, and the solution to the CSP remains
consistent. Such assignment is known as Complete assignment.
•Partial Assignment: An assignment which assigns values to
some of the variables only. Such type of assignments are called
Partial assignments.
Types of Domains in CSP
There are following two types of domains which are used by the
variables :
•Discrete Domain: It is an infinite domain which can have one state for
multiple variables. For example, a start state can be allocated infinite
times for each variable.
•Finite Domain: It is a finite domain which can have continuous states
describing one domain for one specific variable. It is also called a
continuous domain.
Constraint Types in CSP
With respect to the variables, basically there are following
types of constraints:
•Unary Constraints: It is the simplest type of constraints that
restricts the value of a single variable.
•Binary Constraints: It is the constraint type which relates
two variables. A value x2 will contain a value which lies
between x1 and x3.
•Global Constraints: It is the constraint type which involves
an arbitrary number of variables.
Some special types of solution algorithms are used to solve the
following types of constraints:
•Linear Constraints: These type of constraints are commonly used in
linear programming where each variable containing an integer value
exists in linear form only.
•Non-linear Constraints: These type of constraints are used in non-
linear programming where each variable (an integer value) exists in a
non-linear form.
Constraint Propagation
In local state-spaces, the choice is only one, i.e., to search for
a solution. But in CSP, we have two choices either:
•We can search for a solution or
•We can perform a special type of inference called constraint
propagation.
There are following local consistencies which are discussed below:
•Node Consistency: A single variable is said to be node consistent if
all the values in the variable’s domain satisfy the unary constraints on
the variables.
•Arc Consistency: A variable is arc consistent if every value in its
domain satisfies the binary constraints of the variables.
•Path Consistency: When the evaluation of a set of two variable with
respect to a third variable can be extended over another variable,
satisfying all the binary constraints. It is similar to arc consistency.
•k-consistency: This type of consistency is used to define the notion of
stronger forms of propagation. Here, we examine the k-consistency of
the variables.
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. The new assignment is close to
the previous one in the space of assignment, hence the name local
search.
All local search algorithms use a function that evaluates the quality of
assignment, for example the number of constraints violated by the
assignment. This amount is called the cost of the assignment. The aim
of local search is that of finding an assignment of minimal cost, which
is a solution if any exists.
Crypt arithmetic Problem is a type of constraint
satisfaction problem where the game is about digits
and its unique replacement either with alphabets or
other symbols. In crypt arithmetic problem, the
digits (0-9) get substituted by some possible
alphabets or symbols. The task in cryptarithmetic
problem is to substitute each digit with an alphabet to
get the result arithmetically correct.
The rules or constraints on a cryptarithmetic problem are
as follows:
•There should be a unique digit to be replaced with a unique
alphabet.
•The result should satisfy the predefined arithmetic rules, i.e.,
2+2 =4, nothing else.
•Digits should be from 0-9 only.
•There should be only one carry forward, while performing
the addition operation on a problem.
•The problem can be solved from both sides, i.e., lefthand
side (L.H.S), or righthand side (R.H.S)