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06 Jan 2012 10:21

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Offbeat: Sudoku research: Officially the most random number we’ll post today

  • 17 the minimum possible number of clues in a sudoku puzzle source
  • » A mathematical mystery solved via brute force: Ever wonder why 16-digit sudoku clues weren’t possible? (Why aren’t you guys raising your hands?) Well, a bunch of nerdy mathematician types — a guy named Gary McGuire and some fellow sudoku nerds at University College Dublin —spent a year testing every possible 16-clue sudoku combination, and figured out that no, you can’t solve a sudoku puzzle with just 16 clues. Now if it sounds to you like a bunch of researchers just wasted a year of their lives, McGuire might disagree with you. He notes that the research might have implications in gene expression analysis and hardware/software testing.