Backtracking

Backtracking is a way of solving puzzles or problems by testing different options until we find the correct solution. It’s like playing a game where you try different paths until you get to the end.

Here's an example: Imagine you have a maze, and you have to find your way out. You start at the beginning and try to follow the path that you think might lead you out. But say, after a while, you hit a dead end – a path that doesn’t lead anywhere. Instead of giving up and going back to the beginning, you “backtrack” and try a different path. And if that new path leads you to another dead end, you try yet another path.

The key to backtracking is knowing when to give up on a particular path and try a new one. We do this by using something called “recursion,” which is basically a fancy way of saying that we keep trying different options until we find the right one.

In programming, backtracking is often used for puzzles like Sudoku, where we have to fill in a bunch of empty cells with numbers. We start with a blank grid and try different numbers in different cells until we find a combination that works. If we hit a dead end (i.e., we put in a number that doesn’t work), we “backtrack” and try a different number.

So, think of backtracking like trying to find your way through a maze or solving a puzzle – you keep trying different paths until you find the way out, one step at a time.