Look-ahead (backtracking)

Look-ahead (backtracking) is a way to find the best solution to a problem that has a lot of possibilities. It works like this: you start by looking at the first possible solution and then you "look ahead" to see what other possibilities there are. You may decide to keep the first solution if it looks like the best one or you may decide to go back and try a different possibility. This way, you can make sure you get the best solution possible.