Constraint-Handling Techniques

Abstract

Every real-world problem poses constraints. You can’t get away from them. It’s only the textbooks that allow you to solve problems in the absence of constraints. Dhar and Ranganathan [102] wrote: Virtually all decision making situations involve constraints. What distinguishes various types of problems is the form of these constraints. Depending on how the problem is visualized, they can arise as rules, data dependencies, algebraic expressions, or other forms. We would only amend this by removing the word “virtually.” In the most extreme case, if a real-world problem is worth solving, then it is worth solving within your lifetime, or at least the foreseeable life span of the human race. The eventual nova of our sun puts a constraint on everything, and a very final one at that.