Department of Computer Sciences

College of Computers & Information Technology

501481-3 Summer 2022

Artificial Intelligence
Chapter 2: General Representation
of AI problems

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 AI Problem
• Assume: P is an AI problem.

• P has an initial configuration called the initial state (s ).

• The solution of P is called the goal state (G).

• To find a solution to the problem P:

– We will start from the start state s.
– Apply an action to s to get a new state s1.
– Apply an action to s1 to get a new state s2.
– Keep applying actions until we reach the goal G.
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 Problem Solving in AI
• Problem solving is a technique to reach the
goal G from the start state s.

• A search space is all possible actions applied

to a state si to get a new state sj for all states si
and sj.

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 Problem Solving in AI
• Problem solving can be converted into a graph
where nodes are the problem states and edges
are actions.

• All the nodes in the graph are called the search

space.

• Search space is defined as all the possible states

of the problem.
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 General Example
• Assume I want to go from city Arad to city Bucharest. This defines problem
P:
– The initial state is city Arad, The goal state is city Bucharest.
– Roads will connect between different cities. Problem P can be converted into a
graph.

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 Representation of search problems
Graphs and Trees
A search problem is represented using a:
• Directed graph :
– The states are represented as nodes.
– The allowed actions are represented as arcs.

• Undirected graph :
– Edges does not imply directions.

• Weighted graph:
– Edges may have weight (cost).

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 Representation of search problems
Graph and tree
• A path is a sequence of edges.
– Example :p=(A,D),(D,E),(E,F),(F,B) or
– Or a sequence of nodes p=A,D,E,F,F
• Loop (cycle) may exist in a graph.
– Edges lead back to the original node.
– l=(A,D),(D,E),(E,F),(F,B),(B,A) or l=A,D,E,F,F,A

• Graph is connected if for any pair of nodes

there is a path between them.

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 Representation of search problems
Graph and tree

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 Other Graph representation Techniques:
Adjacency Matrix
 Adjacency matrix A( N x N matrix)-undirected graph
 A[i, j]=1: an edge exist between nodes i and j.
 A[i, j]=0: no edge exist between nodes i and j.
 Row represents source, Column represents destination.

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 Other Graph representation Techniques:
Adjacency Matrix
 Adjacency matrix for a directed graph

 Rows identify source nodes.

 Columns identify destination nodes.

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 Example-1
• For the problem of going from city Arad to city Bucharest, we have
the following setting:
• S = set of all cities in the problem.
– S = {Arad, Zerind, Sibiu, …}, 10 cities
• Initial state s = Arad, Goal state G = Bucharest.
• Operations O = set of all roads connecting the cities.

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 Representing the Search Space
• Basic search problem could be stated as:
– Given [S, s, O, G] where:
• S is the set of states.
• s is the initial state.
• O is the set of state transition operators (actions).
• G is the set of goal state(s).
– Purpose: to find a sequence of state transitions
heading from s to a goal state G.

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 Example-2
Search in a Maze

Assume that there a robot that need to move in the

shown maze. Define this AI problem by representing:
[S, s, O, G], and drawing the search space.
 Representing the Search Space

Initial state s =A. Goal G= {G,J}

State space S = set of locations = {A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J}

Operator O= {(A, left, B), (A, down, C), (A, right, D), (B, left, E),
(B, down, F), (B, right, A), (E, right, B), (E, down, I), (D, left, A),
(D, down, G), (D, right, H), (H, left, D), (H, down, J), (J, up, H),
(G, up, D), (C, up, A), (F, up, B), (I, up, E)}
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Representing the Search Space

s A

B C D

E F G H

I
J End of Solution

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 Example-3
Search in a Puzzle Space

• We have a number of disks and 3-pegs.

• Goal: move disks to peg 3 such that they are in increasing order.
• Constraints: Larger disk can not sit on a smaller disk & You cannot
move a disk that has another disk above it.
• Define this AI problem by representing: [S, s, O, G], and drawing the
search space.
1 2 3 1 2 3

C C
B B
A A

Initial State s Goal State G

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 Representing the Search Space
• Constraints:
– Larger disk can not sit on a smaller disk.
– Cannot move a disk that has another disk above it.
• Solution:
– Move disk C to peg 3.
– Move disk B to peg 2.
– Move disk C to peg 2 on top of disk B.
– Move disk A to peg 3.
– Move disk C to peg 1
– Move disk B to peg 3 on top of A.
– Move disk C to peg 3 on top of B.
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 Representing the Search Space
• State space S: (Peg1, Peg2, Peg3)
– Peg1: list of disks (bottom-top).
– Peg2: list of disks (bottom-top).
– Peg3: list of disks (bottom-top).
• Initial state s =((A,B,C), (),()).
• Goal state G=((), (), (A,B,C)).
• Operator: move(Disk, From, To)
– Disk is disk name
– From is peg number
– To is peg number.
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 Search in a Puzzle Space
State space S
s
move(c,1,2) move(c,1,3)
S1 =((A,B), (C),()) S =((A,B,C), (),()) S2 =((A,B), (),(C))

move(c,2,3) s1 move(b,1,3) move(c,3,2) s2 move(b,1,2)

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 Search in a Puzzle Space

S G
S =((A,B), (),()) G =((), (),(A,B))

Think of the solution as an

exercise!
 Example-3
Search in an Adversarial Game Space:
Missionaries and Cannibals
• Initially, 3 missionaries and 3
cannibals are at one side of a
river, along with a boat that
can hold one, or two people.
• Goal: all people need to go to
the other side of the river.
• Constraint:
– Group of cannibals cannot
outnumber the group of
missionaries.
– No more than two people
can be on the boat

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 Missionaries and Cannibals
<Simplified>

Task: Consider the shown, simplifies, Missionaries and

Cannibals problem. Define this AI problem by representing:
[S, s, O, G], and drawing the search space.
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 Missionaries and Cannibals
<Simplified>

• State: (#mL, #cL, #mR, #cR, 1/0)

– #mL is the number of missionaries at the left side.
– #cL is the number of cannibals at the left side.
– The last bit indicate the location of the boat.
• 1 means right side of the river, and 0 means left side of the
river.
• So: (2,2,0,0,0), G: (0,0,2,2,1).
• Operators:
– Boat carry: (1,0), (0, 1), (2,0),(0,2),(1,1)
 Missionaries and Cannibals
<Simplified>

Think of the solution as an

exercise!