{"type":"ScholarlyArticle","title":"A Problem Similarity Approach to Devising Heuristics: First Results","authors":[{"name":"John Gaschnig","slug":"john-gaschnig","given":"John","family":"Gaschnig","affiliation":""}],"abstract":"Here we describe an approach, based upon a notion of problem similarity, that can be used when attempting to devise a heuristic for a given search problem (of a sort represented by graphs). The proposed approach relies on a change In perspective: instead of seeking a heuristic directly for a given problem Pl, one seeks Instead a problem P2 easier to solve than P1 and related to P1 in a certain way. The next step is to find an algorithm for finding paths In P2, then apply this algorithm in a certain way as a heuristic for Pl. In general, the approach is to consider as candidates problems P2 that are \"edge subgraphs\" or \"edge supergraphs\" of the given problem Pl. As a non-tr i vial application, we show that a certain restricted form of sorting problem (serving Ill> P2) is an edge supergraph of the 8-puzzle graph (P1). A simple algorithm for solving this sorting problem Is evident, and the number of swaps executed In solvi,,g an Instance thereof is taken as a heuristic estimate of distance between corresponding points in the 8-puzzle graph. Using the At algorithm, we experimentally compare the performa.,ce of this \"maxsort\" heuristic for the 8-puzzle with others in the literature. Hence we present evidence of a role for e :<ploitlng certain similarities among problems to transfer a heuristic from one problem to another, from an \"easier• problem to a \"harder\" one.","doi":null,"url":"https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1979/68","pdf":"https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1979/0068.pdf","markdown":"https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1979/68.md","bibtex":"https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1979/bibtex/68","volume":{"slug":"1979","title":"Proceedings of the Sixth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence","short_title":"IJCAI 1979","url":"https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1979/","year":1979,"location":"Tokyo, Japan","dates":"August 20-23, 1979","editors":"Bruce G. Buchanan","isbn":"","publisher":"International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence","doi_prefix":""},"section":null,"track":"","number":68,"pages":{"first":null,"last":null},"keywords":[],"videos":[],"references":[],"license_note":"Copyright International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence."}