Constrained Satisfaction Problem(CSP)

• Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSP)

• Backtracking search for CSPs
• Local search for CSPs
Constrained Satisfaction Problem (CSP)
Idea:
We have a number of variables, each with a set of possible values,
and we have to assign a value to each variable so that the constraints
of the problem are satisfied.

A constraint-satisfaction problem (CSP) consists of

• Variables
• Set of allowed values (for each variable)
• Constraints
Constrained Satisfaction Problem (CSP)
•In basic search problems, we are explicitly given a goal
(or perhaps a small set of goals) and need to find a
path to it.
•In a constraint-satisfaction problem, we're given only
a description of what constraints a goal state must
satisfy. Target is to find a goal state that satisfies
these constraints.
Constrained Satisfaction Problem (CSP)
• Assumptions about the world: a single agent, deterministic actions,
fully observed state, discrete state space
Planning: sequences of actions
• The path to the goal is the important thing
• Paths have various costs, depths
• Heuristics give problem-specific guidance
Identification: assignments to variables
• The goal itself is important, not the path
• All paths at the same depth (for some formulations)
• CSPs are a specialized class of identification problems

*CSPs are a type of identification problem

Constrained Satisfaction Problem (CSP)
A CSP consists of three main components:

X : a set of variables {X1,…,Xn}

D : a set of domains {D1,…,Dn}, one domain per variable

(i.e. the domain of Xi is Di , which means that Xi can only be assigned values
from Di . Here, we’re only going to consider finite domains.

C : is a set of constraints that specify allowable assignments of

values to variables.
( forexample, a binary constraint consists of a pair of different variables, (Xi,Xj)
, and a set of pairs of values that Xi and Xj can take on at the same time )
Constrained Satisfaction Problem (CSP)
Example 1: suppose we have a CSP as follows:
• Three variables X1 , X2 and X3
• Domains: D1 = {1,2,3,4}, D2 = {2,3,4} , and D3 = {3,7}
X1 can only be assigned one of the values 1,2,3 or 4
• Constrained : No pair of variables have the same value, i.e. X1≠X2, X1≠X3, and X2≠X3

we can explicitly describe each of these constraints as a relation between the two
variables where the pairs show the allowed values that the variables can be
simultaneously assigned, i.e.

X1≠X2 = {(1,2),(1,3),(1,4),(2,3),(2,4),(3,2),(3,4),(4,2),(4,3)}
X1≠X3 = {(1,3),(1,7),(2,3),(2,7),(3,7),(4,3),(4,7)}
X2≠X3 ={(2,3),(2,7),(3,7),(4,3),(4,7)}
Constrained Satisfaction Problem (CSP)
Example 2: Suppose we have a CSP as follows:
• Three variables X1 , X2 and X3
• Domains: D1 = {1,2,3,4}, D2 = {2,3,4} , and D3 = {3,7}
X1 can only be assigned one of the values 1,2,3 or 4
• Constrained : X1 + X2= X3, and X1 is even.

Here
X1 + X2= X3 is a ternary constrained
X1 + X2= X3 = { (1,2,3), (3,4,7) , (4,3,7)}
X1 is even
X1 = {2,4}
The only one case where X1 is even and satisfies both condition is (4,3,7). So the solution
to the problem is X1 = 4 , X2 = 3 and X3 = 7
Constrained Satisfaction Problem (CSP)
• Variables can be assigned, or unassigned
• If a CSP has some variables assigned, and those assignments don’t violate any
constraints,
we say the CSP is consistent, or that it is satisfied
• If all the variables of a CSP are assigned a value, we call that a complete
assignment bb
• A solution to a CSP complete assignment that is consistent, i.e. a complete
assignment that does not violate any constraints
• Depending on the constraints, a CSP may have 0, 1, or many solutions
- A CSP with no solutions is sometimes referred to as over-constrained
- A CSP with many solutions is sometimes referred to as under-constrained
• If a domain is empty, then the CSP is no solution
CSP Examples: Map Coloring
The map coloring problem requires that we color regions of the map
such that neighboring regions never have the same color.
Variables : WA, NT, SA, NSW, Q, V, T
Domains : { RED, GREEN , BLUE }
Constraints: adjacent regions must
have different colors
Solutions are assignments satisfying
all constraints, e.g.
{ WA= RED, NT= GREEN, SA=BLUE,
Q=RED, NSW=GREEN, V=RED, T=GREEN }
CSP Examples: Map Coloring
• It can be helpful to visualize a CSP as a constraint graph, as shown in Figure
(b). The nodes of the graph correspond to variables of the problem, and an
edge connects any two variables that participate in a constraint.
• Constraint={ WA ≠ NT, WA ≠ SA, SA ≠ NT, SA ≠ Q, SA ≠ NSW, SA ≠ V, NT
≠ Q, Q ≠ NSW, NSW ≠ V }
CSP Examples: Map Coloring
How many colours in the domains required so that no two neighbours have same
color

Note : that graph coloring is NP complete

CSP Examples: Sudoku
Sudoku can be modelled as a CSP problem,
Variables: cells xij
Values: {1,2,...,9}
Constraints: no duplicates in row,
no duplicates in column, no duplicates in block.
CSP Examples: N-queen
Remember that a queen in chess threatens another piece
if there is a direct path between the two either
horizontally, or vertically, or diagonally.
In the n queens problem, we have to place n queens on a
n by n board so that no queen threatens another.

Variables: Qk
Domains: {1,2,3,…N}
Constrained: For all i,j non-threatening ( Qi , Qj )
( Qi , Qj ) ϵ { ( 1 , 3 ), (1, 4)….}
CSP Examples: Cryptarithmetic puzzles
Each letter in a cryptarithmetic puzzle represents a different digit. For the case in Figure 6.2(a), this would
be represented as the global constraint Alldiff (F, T, U, W, R, O )

Variable: F T U W R O C1 C2 C3
Domains: { 0, 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}
Constraints: all variable values should
be different.
O + O = R + 10 * C1
C1 + W + W = U + 10 * C2
C2 + T + T = O + 10 * C3
C3 = F
where C1, C2, and C3 are auxiliary variables representing the digit carried over into the tens,
hundreds, or thousands column.
CSP Examples: Cryptarithmetic puzzles
The constraint hypergraph for the cryptarithmetic problem, showing the Alldiff
constraint (square box at the top) as well as the column addition constraints (four square
boxes in the middle). The variables C1,C2, and C3 represent the carry digits for the three
columns from right to left

O + O = R + 10 * C1
C1 + W + W = U + 10 * C2
C2 + T + T = O + 10 * C3
C3 = F

These constraints can be represented in a constraint hypergraph, such as the one

shown in Figure b. A hypergraph consists of ordinary nodes (the circles in the
figure) and hypernodes (the squares), which represent n-ary constraints—constraints
involving n variables.
CSP Examples: Cryptarithmetic puzzles

Setting F = 1, O = 4, R = 8, T = 7, W = 3,
U = 6 gives 734 + 734 = 1468
CSP Examples: Cryptarithmetic puzzles
Constraints:
•A number 0-9 is assigned to a particular alphabet.
•Each different alphabet has a unique number.
•All the same, alphabets have the same numbers.
•The numbers should satisfy all the operations that any normal number does
CSP Examples: Cryptarithmetic puzzles
CSP Examples: Try to solve
Real-world CSPs:
•Assignment problems
e.g., who teaches what class
•Timetabling problems
e.g., which class is offered when and where?
•Hardware configuration
•Transportation scheduling
•Factory scheduling
•Floor planning
Generate and Test
•Generate and Test is the simplest of the algorithms to
identify a solution for a CSP.
•In this algorithm, each of the possible solutions is
attempted (each value enumerated for each variable)
and then tested for the solution.
•Since testing each combination of variable within the
domain of each value can be extremely slow and
inefficient, heuristics can be applied to avoid those
combinations that are outside of the solution space
CSP as a standard search problem
• A CSP can easily be expressed as a standard search problem
• Incremental formulation
Initial State: the empty assignment {}
Successor function: Assign a value to any unassigned variable
provided that it does not violate a constraint
Goal test: the current assignment is complete and consistent
Path cost: constant cost for every step (not generally relevant)
Commutativity

• CSPs are commutative.

• The order of any given set of actions has no effect on the outcome.
Example: choose colors for Australian territories one at a time
[WA=red then NT=green] same as [NT=green then WA=red]

• All CSP search algorithms can generate successors by considering

assignments for only a single variable at each node in the search tree
Backtracking (CSP)
• The backtracking algorithm operates with a simple uninformed search
algorithm, such as depth-first search.
• At each node, a variable is instantiated with a value and the
constraint violations are checked.
• If the values are legal, search is permitted to continue, otherwise, the
current branch is abandoned and the next node from the OPEN list is
evaluated.

start state: no variables have a value

each move: assign a value to one variable
goal state: all variables have a value
Backtracking (CSP)
Backtracking example
Backtracking example
Backtracking example
Backtracking example
Improving CSP efficiency
• Previous improvements on uninformed search
→ introduce heuristics
For CSPs, general-purpose methods can give large gains in
speed,
→ Which variable should be assigned next?
→ In what order should its values be tried?
→ Can we detect inevitable failure early?
→ Can we take advantage of problem structure?
Heuristics for CSPs
CSP searches the space in the depth-first manner.
But we still can choose:
Which variable to assign next?
Which value to choose first?
Heuristics
• Most constrained variable
– Which variable is likely to become a bottleneck?
• Least constraining value
– Which value gives us more flexibility later?
Heuristics for CSPs
Examples: map coloring

Heuristics
• Most constrained variable
?
• Least constraining value
?
Heuristics for CSPs
Examples: map coloring

Heuristics
• Most constrained variable
Country E is the most constrained
one (cannot use Red, Green)
• Least constraining value
?
Heuristics for CSPs
Examples: map coloring

Heuristics
• Most constrained variable
Country E is the most constrained
one (cannot use Red, Green)
• Least constraining value
-- Assume we have chosen variable C
-- What color is the least
constraining color?
Heuristics for CSPs
Examples: map coloring

Heuristics
• Most constrained variable
Country E is the most constrained
one (cannot use Red, Green)
• Least constraining value
-- Assume we have chosen variable C
-- Red is the least constraining valid color
for the future
Minimum remaining values (MRV)

Most constrained variable Heuristic

Heuristic Rule: choose variable with the fewest legal moves

e.g., will immediately detect failure if X has no legal values
Least constraining value

• Least constraining value heuristic

• Used to select order of values
• Heuristic Rule: given a variable choose the least constraining value
leaves the maximum flexibility for subsequent variable assignments
Forward checking
Idea: Keep track of remaining legal values for unassigned variables
Terminate search when any variable has no legal values
Forward checking
Idea: Keep track of remaining legal values for unassigned variables
Terminate search when any variable has no legal values
Forward checking
Idea: Keep track of remaining legal values for unassigned variables
Terminate search when any variable has no legal values
Forward checking
Idea: Keep track of remaining legal values for unassigned variables
Terminate search when any variable has no legal values
Constraint propagation
• Techniques like Constraint Propagation (CP) and Forward Checking (FC) are
in effect eliminating parts of the search space
• Forward checking checking does not detect all failures.

• NT and SA cannot both be blue!

• Constraint propagation goes further than FC by repeatedly enforcing
constraints locally.
Constraint propagation
• When we assign a value to variable X, forward checking only checks
variables that share a constraint with X, i.e. are adjacent in the
constraint graph.
• Arc-consistency (AC) is a systematic procedure for constraining
propagation
• A state is arc-consistent, if every variable has some value that is
consistent with each of its constraints
Arc-consistency (AC)
Constraint propagation (CSP)
• Constraint propagation: Using the constraints to reduce the number
of legal values for a variable, which in turn can reduce the legal values
for another variable, and so on
• Local consistency: If we treat each variable as a node in a graph and
each binary constraint as an arc, then the process of enforcing local
consistency in each part of the graph causes inconsistent values to be
eliminated throughout the graph.
• Arc consistency: A variable in a CSP is arc-consistent if every value in
its domain satisfies the variable’s binary constraints.
• Xi is arc-consistent with respect to another variable Xj if for every
value in the current domain Di there is some value in the domain
Dj that satisfies the binary constraint on the arc (Xi, Xj).
CSP
• Backtracking search, a form of depth-first search, is commonly used
for solving CSPs.
• Commutativity: CSPs are all commutative. A problem is commutative
if the order of application of any given set of actions has no effect on
the outcome.
• Backtracking search: A depth-first search that chooses values for one
variable at a time and backtracks when a variable has no legal values
left to assign.
• Backtracking algorithm repeatedly chooses an unassigned variable,
and then tries all values in the domain of that variable in turn, trying
to find a solution. If an inconsistency is detected, then BACKTRACK
returns failure, causing the previous call to try another value.
CSP
• An assignment that does not violate any constraints is called
a consistent or legal assignment;
• A complete assignment is one in which every variable is assigned;
• A solution to a CSP is a consistent, complete assignment;
• A partial assignment is one that assigns values to only some of the
variables.
• Local search algorithms for CSPs use a complete-state formulation:
the initial state assigns a value to every variable, and the search
change the value of one variable at a time.
CSP
For solving a CSP, a local search problem consists of a:
▶ A set of variables
▶ Domains for the variables
▶ Constraints on the joint values of the variables
▶ A node in the search space is a complete assignment to all of the
variables.
▶ A neighbour relation: which nodes do I explore next?
▶ A cost function: how good is each assignment? In which direction
should we go?