Backtracking
Domain: Algorithms
🎯 Motivation
Build a solution incrementally and abandon (backtrack) any path that cannot lead to a valid solution. Used for puzzles, N-Queens, Sudoku.
📋 Concrete Example
Solving a maze: go down a path, if you hit a dead end, backtrack to the last junction and try another direction. You do not explore dead ends fully.
🔗 Analogy
Trying to fit Tetris pieces. You place a piece, and if it leads to an impossible situation later, you remove it and try a different piece. You backtrack from dead ends.