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Min Max Algorithm

The Min-max algorithm is a recursive decision-making tool used in game theory to determine optimal moves for two players, MAX and MIN, who play against each other. It employs a depth-first search through a game tree to evaluate potential outcomes, ultimately backtracking to find the best possible score for MAX while minimizing the score for MIN. The algorithm is complete and optimal, with a time and space complexity of O(bm), where b is the branching factor and m is the maximum depth of the tree.

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2 views

Min Max Algorithm

The Min-max algorithm is a recursive decision-making tool used in game theory to determine optimal moves for two players, MAX and MIN, who play against each other. It employs a depth-first search through a game tree to evaluate potential outcomes, ultimately backtracking to find the best possible score for MAX while minimizing the score for MIN. The algorithm is complete and optimal, with a time and space complexity of O(bm), where b is the branching factor and m is the maximum depth of the tree.

Uploaded by

mukilanmukilan3318
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Min-max algorithm

o Mini-max algorithm is a recursive or backtracking algorithm which is


used in decision-making and game theory. It provides an optimal move
for the player assuming that opponent is also playing optimally.
o Mini-Max algorithm uses recursion to search through the game-tree.
o Min-Max algorithm is mostly used for game playing in AI. Such as
Chess, Checkers, tic-tac-toe, go, and various two-players game. This
Algorithm computes the minimax decision for the current state.
o In this algorithm two players play the game, one is called MAX and
other is called MIN.
o Both the players fight it as the opponent player gets the minimum
benefit while they get the maximum benefit.
o Both Players of the game are opponent of each other, where MAX will
select the maximized value and MIN will select the minimized value.
o The minimax algorithm performs a depth-first search algorithm for the
exploration of the complete game tree.
o The minimax algorithm proceeds all the way down to the terminal node
of the tree, then backtrack the tree as the recursion.

Working of Min-Max Algorithm:


o The working of the minimax algorithm can be easily described using an
example. Below we have taken an example of game-tree which is
representing the two-player game.
o In this example, there are two players one is called Maximizer and
other is called Minimizer.
o Maximizer will try to get the Maximum possible score, and Minimizer
will try to get the minimum possible score.
o This algorithm applies DFS, so in this game-tree, we have to go all the
way through the leaves to reach the terminal nodes.
o At the terminal node, the terminal values are given so we will compare
those value and backtrack the tree until the initial state occurs.
Following are the main steps involved in solving the two-player game
tree:

Step-1: In the first step, the algorithm generates the entire game-tree and
apply the utility function to get the utility values for the terminal states. In
the below tree diagram, let's take A is the initial state of the tree. Suppose
maximizer takes first turn which has worst-case initial value =- infinity, and
minimizer will take next turn which has worst-case initial value = +infinity.

Step 2: Now, first we find the utilities value for the Maximizer, its initial
value is -∞, so we will compare each value in terminal state with initial value
of Maximizer and determines the higher nodes values. It will find the
maximum among the all.

o For node D max(-1,- -∞) => max(-1,4)= 4


o For Node E max(2, -∞) => max(2, 6)= 6
o For Node F max(-3, -∞) => max(-3,-5) = -3
o For node G max(0, -∞) = max(0, 7) = 7
Step 3: In the next step, it's a turn for minimizer, so it will compare all nodes
value with +∞, and will find the 3rd layer node values.

o For node B= min(4,6) = 4


o For node C= min (-3, 7) = -3

Step 4: Now it's a turn for Maximizer, and it will again choose the maximum
of all nodes value and find the maximum value for the root node. In this
game tree, there are only 4 layers, hence we reach immediately to the root
node, but in real games, there will be more than 4 layers.
o For node A max(4, -3)= 4

That was the complete workflow of the minimax two player game.

Properties of Mini-Max algorithm:


o Complete- Min-Max algorithm is Complete. It will definitely find a
solution (if exist), in the finite search tree.
o Optimal- Min-Max algorithm is optimal if both opponents are playing
optimally.
o Time complexity- As it performs DFS for the game-tree, so the time
complexity of Min-Max algorithm is O(bm), where b is branching factor
of the game-tree, and m is the maximum depth of the tree.
o Space Complexity- Space complexity of Mini-max algorithm is also
similar to DFS which is O(bm).

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