Passing Messages to Lonely Numbers
Heiko Bauke · Computing in Science & Engineering · 2008
Message-passing methods provide powerful approximation algorithms for problems that can be formulated in terms of (probabilistic) graphical models. These methods find applications in statistical physics, inference, and combinatorial optimization. Sudoku, a popular number puzzle, is a simple optimization problem that message-passing algorithms can help solve. Therefore, Sudoku is an ideal vehicle to demonstrate these methods' strengths and limitations.