PY-04: Solving Problems, Part 2

In the last post, I covered how decrementing functions can be useful for finding the solutions to simple problems, notably for finding a cubed root of a value, "x". However, it is important to note that while decrementing functions are sometimes the best call, they are not always so. Our next lesson covers another method, by the name of exhaustive enumeration.

Before we begin, please note that open and close brackets, i.e. "[" and "]" respectively, will contain raw code.

Exhaustive Enumeration

Summary

Exhaustive enumeration is a function for solving problems by which the computer exhausts possible options in a systematic way, so that it can find the correct one. This is what is known in the world of programming as a "brute force" tactic for solving problems, because of its straight-forward methods.

As computers are so adept at computing instructions swiftly, once outlandish ways to solve problems are now useful realities. An example of exhaustive enumeration in real life (albeit a watered-down version) would be finding which answers on a multiple-choice test question are not correct, and by process of elimination (exhaustion), we can come to the correct answer more easily.