Sudoku

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Subject: Sudoku Sat Feb 10 2007, 13:00

Sudoku: A Puzzle of Logic

Sudoku is a puzzle printed in many of today’s newspapers and magazines. It is a game of logic that was invented in 1979 by American Howard Garns and became very popular in Japan a few years later- 1986. But it was not until 2005 that it really hit off around the world. The puzzle was first printed by Dell Magazine in 1979 but was not called Sudoku then, they then called it ‘Number Place’. That name is still used today in Japan for this puzzle.

Sudoku is made up of a 9 x 9 square, where the goal is in each column, row, and 3 x 3 square to have numbers one through nine only once each. There are many different strategies used to play the game, and here are a few effective ways.

Scanning: is using the process of elimination to figure out what numbers are needed where. Look in each 3 x 3 square and write in the boxes what numbers it could possibly be. Once this is done for each box it is much easier to put the correct number in.

Marking Up: is used once scanning is done and you need to use your logic to complete the puzzle. You go through the boxes, figuring out which it can’t be because of what you filled in on the other boxes, and will then come to an answer.

Analysis: is using the process of elimination again, and this time by analyzing what you have and making educated choices of what should be in the boxes.

The difficulty ratings for Sudoku ‘easy’, ‘intermediate’, ‘hard’, and ‘diabolical’ and relate to how much work must be put into the puzzle to solve it. In an ‘easy’ Sudoku, you may only have to use scanning to complete it. But as the rating grows higher, so does the amount of work. Just by looking at a puzzle will not give a clue to how difficult it is- the number of given numbers will not tell you, it all depends on the way they are arranged.

Example of an original Sudoku puzzle-

The finished puzzle-

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku

Subject: Re: Sudoku Thu Feb 15 2007, 15:17

Well done on a great and creative essay. You have been awarded 50 housepoints

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