SUDOKU tips and tricks

How to Teach Kids to Solve Sudoku Puzzles

2011-04-05T12:51:00.000+08:00

Sudoku puzzles are an extremely enjoyable and fascinating past time. At first glance these puzzles may not appear to be appropriate for kids. Sudoku looks complicated and appear to require advanced math skills. However, neither of these assumptions is true.

Sudoku puzzles are totally appropriate for kids of all ages. Kids find sudoku puzzles fun and rewarding and won't even realize that by completing puzzles they are boosting their mental capacity, increasing their concentration span and developing basic math and logic skills.

To ensure kids get the most rewarding experience, it is important to ensure children are only doing age appropriate puzzles. Kids quickly become frustrated and give up when given puzzles to attempt that are too difficult. It is equally important to ensure that kids are given simple, easy-to-follow instructions on how to properly attack and solve sudoku puzzles.

Objective of Sudoku

Every puzzle is different, but the object of all is the same. Although they may have varying sizes and levels of difficulty every puzzle can be solved in the same way, following the same rules.

The objective of all sudoku puzzles is to fill in the blank squares with the correct numeral. Figuring out the correct numeral can be the tricky part. However, there is a method which can be used to easily discover the correct answer for any puzzle.

Explain to children that to correctly solve a sudoku puzzle the following rules must be adhered to:

• Every row of the puzzle must contain the numerals 1 - 9
• Every column of the puzzle must contain the numerals 1 - 9
• Every sub-section of the puzzle must contain the numerals 1 - 9

(Although the rules above use the example of a 9 x 9 puzzle, they apply to puzzles of all sizes, eg. a 4 x 4 puzzles would require each row, column and sub-section to contain the numerals 1 - 4.)

Tips to Help Kids Solve Sudoku Puzzles

One of the easiest ways to help kids with solving sudoku puzzles is to ensure they use a pencil. Mistakes, which are often made (not just by kids, adults too!), are so much easier to correct if a pencil has been used.

The best way for kids to start solving a sudoku puzzle is to look for limited squares. Limited squares are empty spaces for which there is only one possible answer. A limited square will usually occur because it is the only one left blank in a row, column or sub-section.

Spaces which have only two possibilities are also quite easy to solve, so suggest children also look for these.

If children become stuck, suggest they write all the possibilities (possible answers for one particular empty square) in each empty space. Having the possible answers visible in each space often allow kids to see the correct answer more easily.

Puzzles get easier and easier to solve as more spaces are filled in.

With just a little help and a push in the right direction kids will be flying through sudoku puzzles, in no time, all on their own.

Most importantly, encourage children to have fun with sudoku! You may just find kids develop a healthy addiction, which may just last a life-time.

A Sudoku A Day Exercises The Brain

2011-01-07T12:08:00.001+08:00

Negative issues are usually associated with addiction. Drug abuse, excessive drinking, and even too much gambling are all negative activities that are highly addictive. But if there is one kind of addiction that is actually beneficial for adults and kids alike, it would be an addiction to sudoku puzzles.
Researchers rank solving sudoku puzzles daily among the top ten non-traditional and alternative ways to boosts brain power. Other brain boosting moves include high-protein diets, listening to classical music, and lots of rest. These are simple but are rather difficult to follow because of budget limitations, personal preferences, and lifestyle. This is the advantage sudoku games holds over other brain boosters. They are accessible from newspapers, books, and even the Internet. They are also workable between breaks or at any spare time. So every time someone chastises you for doing sudoku again, kindly explain and hope that they pick up the habit too.

Though sudoku puzzles are not mathematical problems, solving the puzzles requires the most basic tool of mathematics and science: logic. Since the puzzles entail the use of logic, common sense, and concentration, the brain is put out of the stupor of doing routine, mundane tasks. In other words, your brain actually gets a break and a good work-out. Studies reveal that the more the brain uses its skills, the better it works. Brains that get more exercise are determined to be more active, and its cells are healthier. Researchers even associate sudoku brain exercises to physical exercise. They stress that just as physical exercise keeps muscle loss at bay, sudoku exercise keeps brain cells from dying and also encourages better brain function. Education is important, but studies actually show that students who do mental workouts like sudoku have higher IQs than students who do not. This only shows that doses of sudoku are more than just ways to pass time. They actually help in improving your ability to comprehend more complex ideas.

Ian Robertson, a neuroscientist, facilitated a research among the elderly with the premise that decreased mental ability is not inevitable with the right stimulation. The research included two groups of elderly people: the first group solved sudoku puzzles as part of their routine, while the second did not. After some time, their IQ levels were tested and compared to their test results before the experiment. The sudoku-solving group was found to have increased their mental abilities by a significant percentage while the other group showed no change. Dr. Robertson cited a similar research wherein 3,000 people, aged 65-94, were found to have increased their mental capabilities and age by as much as 14 years, just by ten sessions of brain boosting exercise like sudoku.

Other experts agree with these findings, saying that solving challenging mind games like sudoku puzzles inhibit or prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease and memory loss. Health trends also show that adults with demanding, and intellectually challenging jobs benefit from better mental function when they age. Sudoku functions just like these jobs because it requires brain exertions.

As it is, experts advise adults to encourage children to solve puzzles like sudoku to start mental improvement earlier in life. Sudoku exercises are actually adopted by some schools to stimulate thinking and foster better academic performance of their students. So instead of letting kids watch TV, or read comics, hand them sudoku puzzles. Then, both you and your kids can defend your love of sudoku to those poor souls who do not understand the beauty, joy, and benefits of solving it.

Sudoku Guide - Powerful Sudoku Puzzle Solving Tips, Strategies

2010-09-09T07:46:00.001+08:00

Sudoku solving, be it complex or beginner level, what you need is a guide if you want to go to advanced Sudoku Puzzle Solving. Some puzzles can be daunting to handle. But I will give you some basic tips here on the right approach to Sudoku game.

The actual challenge for Sudoku players is to fill all 1 to 9 numbers in the box. However because of it's rules, it sometimes gets the players irritated who find it hard to complete the box. The rule is: the number 1 to 9 must come out only once in each row and column.

To avoid being trapped by this rule, players must have strategies, or some reference to it's secrets which they can use to solve the puzzle correctly and effectively.

My experience with Sudoku has taught me a few lessons on strategies. I have sequentially put some here.

1. Using a pencil is helpful
Pens are for the professionals. Though the puzzle may seem to be easy, erasing your errors while solving the squares is a good idea.

2. Think through the plausible answers
Never put a number if you are not exactly sure. Think through your answer and use trial and error as your last resort.

3. Start with commonly thought numbers
Introspect the puzzle closely to know which of the numbers come out frequently. Choose these numbers and know if you can put any of them. As you begin to do this, you can put lightly drawn lines cutting every row and column that holds the numbers. Try looking at each box that does not have the number yet. If you happen to find a box with a single empty space that is crossed out, you should then put the number on that space.

4. Go on to the nearly filled box
As you begin putting the numbers, watch out for the rows, columns, or the 3 x 3 block that are nearly filled in. Once you have found one, decide which of the numbers should remain to be placed in that box. Know the numbers that are not yet placed then, check if there is a suitable position in the box. If there is at least one, place the number. I hope I ve got you interested, or else you can refer to ultimate sudoku guide.

5. Start scribbling on a paper all the permutations and combinations when stuck
The easy numbers are already placed in. You try to concentrate and you realize that you are not using your pencil. This means, you are stuck with the puzzle. Imagine the answers for each square again. Note down all the probable answers within each square. Choose a square and scribble in small size any of the numbers from 1 to 9 that do not appear in each row, column or 3 x 3 grid. This will help you figure out that the square has a single possible answer only. Put down the number.

6. Search for other options
There could be a situation that you reach the point where all empty boxes have many probable solutions. When this happens, the puzzle gets really difficult.

Your plan should be to look for the several boxes in a row, column or box that have similar options. If you can locate 2 boxes that have same two options, both the numbers should be placed in those two boxes. It should not be placed somewhere else within the row, column or box.

This strategy will surely work if your options overlap in 2 boxes or more. If you find that the total number of different options along with the connected group of boxes does not does not go beyond the number of boxes included, you can presume that each of those numbers is placed anywhere within that group.

7. Start all again if you tend to duplicate
Lastly, if you find an invalid duplication, stop, and know the reason behind doing so. If you still cannot find it, then it is always better start the puzzle all over again.

By following these tips given above, you are most likely to enjoy your game well, doesn't matter if it's easy or the most difficult Sudoku puzzle.

15-year-old is Philippines' Sudoku Grandmaster

2010-02-05T16:40:00.001+08:00

An hour of sudoku can help you lose weight

2009-12-04T19:36:00.004+08:00

An hour spent on crosswords and sudokus burns more calories than are contained in a chocolate chip cookie, brain trainers claim.

Mental exercises such as puzzles and quizzes are said to burn an average of 90 calories every hour – more calories than are contained in a jammy dodger or a chocolate hobnob.

Mental agility expert Tim Forrester from brain training website cannyminds.com which published the claims, said giving the brain a workout burns calories in the same way that giving the body a workout does.

"Our brains require 0.1 calories every minute simply to survive," he said. "When we do something challenging such as a puzzle or a quiz we burn through 1.5 calories every minute."

The brain is made up of millions of neurons which communicate with other neurons, transmitting messages to the body.

Neurons produce chemicals called neurotransmitters to relay their signals.

These neurons extract 75 per cent of the sugar glucose, available calories and 20 per cent of the oxygen from the blood to create these neurotransmitters.

So undertaking activity such as difficult crosswords or challenging sudoku’s means your brain will need more glucose and more calories.

Eight-time World Memory Champion Dominic O'Brien said brains needs work outs just as much as bodies.

"Just as you need to continually exercise your body to stay fit and healthy you also need to exercise your brain and memory to remain mentally agile," he said.

* Snacks you can enjoy which have the same calories as an hour's brain workout include:

A chocolate chip cookie = 56 calories

A jammy dodger = 85 calories

A custard cream = 57 calories

A chocolate hobnob = 79 calories

* But if you carried on for two hours with a puzzle you could enjoy:

A pack of Hula Hoops = 175 calories

A bag of Maltesers = 186 calories

A creme egg = 173 calories

A bag of jelly babies = 180 calories

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

TUTORIAL

2009-11-02T14:30:00.000+08:00

Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.clik this link................. to LEARN and TRY

how to solve difficult Sudoku

2008-10-08T13:50:00.000+08:00

Illustrative Sudoku tips teach you how to solve difficult Sudoku puzzles and games. Learn techniques that will make you a pro.click here

How to solve Sudoku: Beginner Tips

2008-02-07T14:26:00.001+08:00

Rules

* The rules of Sudoku are simple: Put the numbers 1 through 9 into the blank spaces in the grid. Every row, every column, and every 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9.

Getting Started:

* There is no need to guess. Every Sudoku puzzle can be solved logically. The best way to start is by looking for clues. Most people start by looking for numbers that occur frequently in the initial puzzle. Say you have a lot of 5's in the initial puzzle. Look for the 3x3 box where there is no 5. Can you rule out places where a 5 might go? Look for 5's in other rows and columns that can help you eliminate where the 5 might go in that box. Remember, a 5 can't appear more than once in any 3x3 box, row, or column. If there is a 5 in column's 1 and 2, then there can't be a 5 anywhere else in either of those columns. You know then that whatever leftmost 3x3 box that is missing a 5 must have it go in column 3. If you can eliminate all the possibilities in that box except for 1 square, you've got it down!
* Once you've finished looking at all the 3x3 boxes make sure to fill in the 1-9's in rows and columns that have most of the numbers in them. If there are only two numbers missing in a row or a column you can usually use a process of elimination to figure out where to fill in the last two numbers. Scan the row or column where the missing numbers two are, if you see or eliminate one of possibilities based on the other row or column you can now complete the line you were working on.
* These two steps will solve most basic or easy Sudoku puzzles are all often called solving the lone number or eliminating singles. Difficult puzzles require solvers to look for contingencies in the puzzle. Contingencies usually require a solver to mark-up the puzzle with all the different options in each square. Sometimes there will be no way to eliminate a possibility for a square and you will have to choose between two or more numbers. In these cases it is important to remember where you made the choice to choose a number and backtrack if your original choice was not correct.

ADVICE FOR THE NOVICE

2007-10-24T21:45:00.000+08:00

"There are a couple of things that may or may not help," Thomas Snyder says:

Lesson 1. "Don't write anything in the grid unless it's a certain digit. Don't write any notes. Try it with a harder puzzle. See how far you can go. Push yourself."

Lesson 2. Slow down. "Trying to solve it fast is not the end all and be all. You should get enjoyment from it. Only for a rare few of us is it a career."

History Of Sudoku Puzzles

2007-09-10T22:26:00.002+08:00

The history of Sudoku puzzles likely has it roots in the mathematical concept of Latin Squares.

Leonhard Euler, a Swiss mathematician, in the 1780's developed the idea of arranging numbers in such a way that any number or symbol would occur only once in each row or column. Latin Squares is used in statistical analysis.

Sudoku rules add the restraint that each region may only have the numbers (or symbols) occurring but once. Howard Garns, an architect from Indianapolis, is credited with creating this rule when he developed the puzzle we know as Sudoku.

Dell Magazines published the puzzle under the name of Number Place for over 25 years. It is a staple of Dell Magazines to this day. You can find Number Place in Dell Collector's Series.

Presently Dell Magazines publishes several Sudoku puzzle books with such titles as Dell Original Sudoku, Dell Extreme Sudoku, and Dell Maximum Sudoku to name a few.

Sudoku is definitely an American invention, but the name isn't. Introduced into Japan by Nikoli under the name of 'Suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru' roughly translating to mean the numbers must be unmarried or single. Thankfully the name has been shortened to Sudoku.

The history of Sudoku continues to expand. Wayne Gould, a retired Hong Kong judge, author of Su Doku The Official Utterly Addictive Number-Placing Puzzle, first encountered the puzzle in a Tokyo book store.

He began to create his own puzzles and was soon addicted like the rest of us. He introduced his puzzles to The Times, a British newspaper, as Su Doku. His puzzles first appeared there on November 12, 2004.

As they say, the rest is history. The puzzle has crossed the pond back to the United States from England. It now appears in many major newspapers across the USA. It's popularity is gaining daily.

The history of Sudoku continues to grow. Today you will find not only Sudoku puzzle books, but Sudoku hand held games, Sudoku board games and a growing list of merchandise.

Is Sudoku a fad? Time will tell. I suspect that it is here to stay. As long as newspapers publish a Sudoku puzzle, there will be people who will want to solve it.

I give credit to Wikipedia for facts contained in this article "The History Of Sudoku".

Puzzles Will Help the Advanced Child

2007-03-14T18:12:00.001+08:00

Do your children excel in school? Have they mastered the skills of their grades? Should they skip a level? If a child is out-performing other children, should they go forward in their schooling faster? These questions may be hard for a parent to answer.

However, according to child development experts, the answer is usually no. Too often parents are so flattered by their child's advanced skill level that they want to move them through school faster. This idea plays more toward the parent's sense of "raising their child right" than interest in the child's well-being in the long term. Unfortunately, quicker is not always better. A child may advance intellectually, but will remain on the same social level as his/her same-aged peers. Allowing them to stay in their grade will increase the opportunity to develop friendships and gain communication skills that will benefit them throughout their life. Children understand, communicate, and interact differently at each stage of development. Only with time can children polish those skills. Children also develop different interests as they age. There is a difference between children in 1st grade and second, although it might not be evident at first glance. Social interests also change as children improve physical skill. Fourth graders want to play with children who are at their same level of competency in games and activities. If a child moves through school quickly, they might struggle to develop friendships. Social interactions play a large part in a child's self-esteem and development. For these reasons it is in a child's best interest to stay at their grade level and instead be challenged with content appropriate for their age.

Helping a child to advance academically is a good thing, if it is done appropriately. If you have a first grader who consistently earns good marks in subtraction you may be tempted to move on to multiplication. A better choice is to expand their knowledge within the realm of subtraction. Numbers do not mean anything until they are applied to real life, situations, and problems. Advance the thinking within subtraction. This helps children not only increase their mathematical skills, but reach a deeper level of understanding. Multiple-step problems, word problems, and puzzles challenge different parts of the brain and increase comprehension. These exercises provokes deeper thought, and requires children to think in steps, expanding their understanding of what subtraction is. Because they will develop life skills they will be more useful as contributing adults to society. They can do more than just spit out numbers and facts, they can apply it. This is a powerful skill.

There are many puzzles that will challenge the advanced child. One example is Sudoku. There are many levels in the game and all ages can play. Other puzzles include: riddles, anagrams, doublets, picture puzzles, chess problems, math puzzles, and logic puzzles. Is one puzzle better than another? No. Puzzles should be geared toward the interest of the child. Tastes, skills and interests form at a remarkably early age. Use your child's interests to enlarge and expand their thinking. By cultivating interests and introducing puzzles your child will be successful academically and socially.

About the Author:
Emma Snow works a pragmatic puzzler at the Puzzle Place http://www.puzzle-place.net and Chess Strategies http://www.chess-strategies.net leading puzzle portals.

Would An Effective Sudoku Strategy Help You Solve Your Sudoku Puzzle?

2007-02-21T22:59:00.000+08:00

In this article you will learn how to apply a simple Sudoku strategy that will help you solve Sudoku puzzles. Additional advanced strategies are described in articles, SO JUST CLICK THIS LINK.

HOW TO SOLVE SUDOKU?

2007-01-25T09:23:00.000+08:00

Solve Sudoku by Robert Jones

People work out at the gym, train at the track and jog every morning to keep their bodies in tip-top condition. But, what about their brains? Even though it's not a muscle, the brain can get sloppy if it doesn't get a regular workout. When brains aren't challenged and entertained,they get bored and lazy.
One way to keep your brain happy and alert is by taking up a hobby or, better yet, solving puzzles.

A puzzle is a problem-solving game that's meant to challenge your different mind strategies.Some puzzles are easy, some are quite difficult, however none sharpen your brain quite as well as logic and math puzzles.
One example of a fun brain-busting puzzle is "Number Place", more commonly known as
Sudoku.The purpose of is to complete a nine by nine (9 x 9) grid from three by three (3 x 3) regions,by entering the numbers 1 to 9 in each cell of the grid. The tricky part is that no single digit can be repeated in the 9 x 9 grid.

At first glance, the Sudoku seems like a fun and easy way to entertain your brain. However,the game begins to twist the mind into deep thought, finding strategies and devising formulations to solve Sudoku.
There are three suggested ways to solve Sudoku: scanning, marking up and analysis.
Scanning is a method used to solve Sudoku wherein the process of elimination reigns. The player may choose either counting or cross-hatching when using this method. Cross-hatching requires a systematic course of action in which the player scans rows and columns in a particular region to determine where numbers can or cannot be repeated. Counting, on the other hand, requires the player to count numerals 1 to 9 in rows, columns, and regions to find the missing numeral.

The marking up method is used to solve Sudoku when all possibilities have been exhausted in the scanning stage. To mark, you'll use notations such as dots or subscript. Whenever possible, use notations you're comfortable with, such as lines, shapes or codes. It is also advised to assign which notations are used for candidate numerals that will likely repeat, and which notations are likely to be in the particular grid. One drawback of using notations is when the Sudoku grids are quite small, as on magazine or newspaper pages.

Analysis is another suggested way to solve Sudoku puzzles. There are two main tactics tousing analysis: the "candidate elimination" method, and the "what if" method. Candidate elimination is just that: you do away with candidate numerals from the grids, until just one option is left. Scanning can effectively be combined with the candidate elimination. Another way to solve Sudoku with the analysis method is by asking "What If?" In this approach, the player will guess which is the correct choice of two numbers.

These are the basic steps to solve a manual Sudoku puzzle, but solving a two-player
computerized game can be a little different. With a computer game, you are able to set the level of difficulty for each game, and the games can get very difficult. Try to solve the puzzle using the methods outlined above. The computer may give you extra hints or strategies. Plan or search for a good computation that will help you solve the puzzle more rapidly.
In working to solve Sudoku, you can use a combination of methods, or can even formulate new solutions that will work best for you. Learn the basics of the game and take each puzzleone step at a time. If certain lines of attack are boggling your mind, let them go. Pick uppieces of information where you think you have succeeded, and learn from those times where you fail. As with any game, you need to learn to take risks.

Face it; your brain could use a good workout. Chances are, just thinking about a Sudoku
puzzle has already cleared some of the cobwebs away. Now, pick up a puzzle magazine or
newspaper, grab a pencil and solve Sudoku for a full-brain workout.

HOW TO PLAY?

2007-01-03T11:14:00.000+08:00

What's it all about?
The goal of Sudoku is to fill all the blank squares in the grid with the correct numbers. In Sudoku Quest, this is done by placing the mouse over a blank square, left-clicking and pressing a number
key 1-9.

How do you know which numbers to place in the empty squares? that's the fun part! Using logic and deduction, you can always work out which numbers go in which squares.
To know better,just copy this link

http://www.su-doku.net/howtoplay.php

WHAT IS SUDOKU?

2007-01-03T10:23:00.000+08:00

a sudoku puzzle
Sudoku
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sudoku (数独, sūdoku?) is a logic-based placement puzzle. The objective is to fill the 9x9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes contains the digits 1 to 9. The puzzle setter provides a partially completed grid so that there is only one solution.

Completed Sudoku puzzles are a type of Latin square, with an additional constraint on the contents of individual regions. Leonhard Euler is sometimes cited as the source of the puzzle, based on his work with Latin squares[1].

The modern puzzle was invented by an American, Howard Garns, in 1979 and published by Dell Magazines under the name "Number Place"[2]. It became popular in Japan in 1986, when it was published by Nikoli and given the name Sudoku. It became an international hit in 2005.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.