Lab: Online Search

CSC 261 - Artificial Intelligence - Weinman

Summary:

You will play the role of a blind agent, running an online depth-first-search algorithm

Preparation

1. Open your book to page 150 and review the ONLINE-DFS-AGENT algorithm in Figure 4.21.
2. Launch the exploration program
   1. On the MathLAN, start a Terminal window
   2. Launch the program by typing the command

      /home/weinman/courses/CSC261/code/online/explore
   3. Do not enter any commands yet!!

Exercise

• Your group was assigned a number:
  • Odd groups: Order your untried (available) actions A B C D
  • Even groups: Order your untried (available) actions C D A B
• The program will notify you when you have reached the goal state (8).
• You have two roles in this exercise:
  • One person should narrate the algorithm. Follow it very carefull and describe what to do.
  • The other person should do the bookkeeping. Take the action indicated and update the paper tables as directed.
• Switch roles after taking six actions.
• When (if) you have found the goal, you should diagram the state space graph you have discovered thus far. (States are nodes, and label actions on the directed arrows/arcs to other states.)
• If you still have time, explore further to complete the state space graph by continuing to follow the algorithm.

Reflection

• What role does the unbacktracked queue play?
• How would you characterize the behavior? Does it seem efficient? Are there alternatives?
• How hard is this particular problem (e.g. state space, actions, etc.)?
  • What if we had more states?
  • What if we had a continuous environment?