The Unknown Flaws in a Sudoku Puzzle

Sudoku puzzles are known as brain boosting games that stimulate the brain without having to solve mathematical problems. This is true because in Sudoku, a player does not have to perform any mathematical problem to be able to solve a puzzle.

But if we pay close attention to the mechanics of the game, we will actually see that there are some aspects of the game that are mathematical in nature. For the most obvious example, Sudoku is composed of many blocks that are filled with several numbers. Imagine if a Sudoku puzzle was to start with a grid with no numbers at all. How many ways the puzzle can then be solved? A smart person would probably come up with the answer of 576 ways. This is if we go by a 4-by-4 grid. But people like Frazer Jarvis of the University of Sheffield, found out that there are actually 88 valid ways. His idea was posted on the Sudoku Programmers Forum once it was made known.

Through new ideas such as Jarvis', mathematics is not totally absent in Sudoku puzzles. It is actually one of the key players and elements in the game. Programmers for Sudoku say that it has only one basic rule, but fans of Sudoku who frequently solve these puzzles have found out that after playing the game for several times, you can actually discover that there are many more ways to uncover the secrets of solving it. If you follow only the basic rule, then sooner or later you will get bored with the game. You need a little variation with the rules to make the game a little more interesting. This is what Barry Cipra, mathematician and writer from Northfield, Minnesota, meant when he said that there are several hierarchies in a Sudoku puzzle. As the number of grids increases, the rules also become more and more complex. Grids such as 10-by-10 until 14-by-14 involve more complex rules and solutions. The basic rules only apply until the 9-by-9 grid. The discovery of these rules will make the game more interesting and mind-boggling.

All these facts suggest that mathematics is really a part of Sudoku. The right thing to say is that Sudoku puzzles require no actual arithmetic-meaning there is no counting of numbers. Sudoku also has a lot of rules, not just one basic rule. Filling the grids with numbers from one to nine so that every row and column will not have the same digits is not the only way to solve the puzzle. Players of this puzzle can still find many more ways to solve it. Logical thinking is very important in solving Sudoku puzzles. Without it, you can never be able to think of any way to solve it.