Cryptarithm Solving with Constraint Propagation
Verbal arithmetic, also known as alphametics, cryptarithmetic, cryptarithm or word addition, is a type of mathematical game consisting of a mathematical equation among unknown numbers, whose digits are represented by letters of the alphabet. The goal is to identify the value of each letter. The name can be extended to puzzles that use non-alphabetic symbols instead of letters. The equation is typically a basic operation of arithmetic, such as addition, multiplication, or division. The classic example, published in the July 1924 issue of The Strand Magazine by Henry Dudeney, is:
Figure (1)
Key Points
- When generalized to arbitrary bases, the problem of determining if a cryptarithm has a solution is NP-complete.
- Constraint propagation techniques are methods used to modify a constraint satisfaction problem.
Terms
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- Wikipedia contributors — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbal_arithmetic (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0)
- Wikipedia contributors — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constraint_satisfaction_problem (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0)
- Wikipedia contributors — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptanalysis (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0)
- Wikipedia contributors — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_Recreational_Mathematics (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0)