The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Mauricio]

We already know the maximum and minimum min-lex solution grids. Finding the minimum is easier that finding the maximum.

A related question is trying to find the minimum and maximum minimal sudokus. That question is obviously harder than trying to find the minimum and maximum minlex solution grid, as there are a lot more minimal sudokus than solution grids.

My conjectures about that sudokus are the following:

Code: Select all

 Minimum?
+-------+-------+-------+
| . . . | . . . | . . . |
| . . . | . . . | . . 1 |
| . . . | . . 1 | . . 2 |
+-------+-------+-------+
| . . 1 | . . 2 | . . 3 |
| . . 2 | . . . | . 4 . |
| . . 3 | . 4 5 | . . 6 |
+-------+-------+-------+
| . 1 . | . . 3 | . 7 . |
| . 2 5 | . 6 . | . 8 . |
| . 3 6 | 7 . 4 | . 1 9 |
+-------+-------+-------+

Code: Select all

Maximum?
+-------+-------+-------+
| . . 1 | . . 2 | . . 3 |
| . 4 . | . 5 . | . 6 . |
| 7 . . | 8 . . | 9 . . |
+-------+-------+-------+
| . . 2 | . 6 . | 7 . . |
| . 5 . | 9 . . | . . 1 |
| 8 . . | . . 3 | . 4 . |
+-------+-------+-------+
| . . 6 | 1 . . | . 8 . |
| . 9 . | . . 4 | 2 . . |
| 3 . . | . 7 . | 1 . 5 |
+-------+-------+-------+

Finding the minimum minlex sudoku should be easier than finding the maximum, and the minimality of the minimum is a necessity, not a requirement.

Are there more extremal minlex examples?

Of course that question is very technical, as morphing a sudoku to its minlex form is not trivial. Perhaps sudocue 3 can help. Sudocue 3 can't help, gsf program can (-f%#mc).

[daj95376]

Hmmmm! Your post prompted me to combine the minimum and maximum min-lex grids with the basic min-lex grid. While reviewing the results, something bothered me when comparing the basic and maximum grids. Does anyone else see a problem???

Code: Select all

            Base                        Minimum                       Maximum
 *-----------------------*     *-----------------------*     *-----------------------*
 | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 |     | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 |     | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 |
 | 4 5 . | . 8 9 | . . . |     | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 | 1 2 3 |     | 4 5 7 | 8 9 3 | 6 1 2 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 7 8 9 | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 |     | 9 8 6 | 2 1 7 | 3 5 4 |
 |-------+-------+-------|     |-------+-------+-------|     |-------+-------+-------|
 | 2 . . | . . . | . . . |     | 2 3 1 | 5 6 4 | 8 9 7 |     | 2 7 4 | 5 3 8 | 1 9 6 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 5 6 4 | 8 9 7 | 2 3 1 |     | 5 3 1 | 9 6 4 | 8 2 7 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 8 9 7 | 2 3 1 | 5 6 4 |     | 6 9 8 | 7 2 1 | 4 3 5 |
 |-------+-------+-------|     |-------+-------+-------|     |-------+-------+-------|
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 3 1 2 | 6 4 5 | 9 7 8 |     | 3 4 2 | 6 8 5 | 9 7 1 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 6 4 5 | 9 7 8 | 3 1 2 |     | 7 1 5 | 3 4 9 | 2 6 8 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 9 7 8 | 3 1 2 | 6 4 5 |     | 8 6 9 | 1 7 2 | 5 4 3 |
 *-----------------------*     *-----------------------*     *-----------------------*


[ronk]

While reviewing the results, something bothered me when comparing the basic and maximum grids. Does anyone else see a problem???

Min - min and max - min has by head spinning, but I would expect both to agree with the "base." They do not.

[JPF]

Hmmmm! Your post prompted me to combine the minimum and maximum min-lex grids with the basic min-lex grid. While reviewing the results, something bothered me when comparing the basic and maximum grids. Does anyone else see a problem???

I hope i understood your point.

The maximum min-lex grid is:

Code: Select all

123456789457893612986217354274538196531964827698721435342685971715349268869172543

This is the unique grid (up to isomorphism) in which all 6 chutes have the maximum band index, i.e. 416. The grid is 72-way automorphic. And you'll notice that its minimal form doesn't have r2c5,6 = 8,9 -- so that closes off the question about guaranteed digits in min-lex form, too.

So the base is :

Code: Select all

            Base                        Minimum                       Maximum
 *-----------------------*     *-----------------------*     *-----------------------*
 | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 |     | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 |     | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 |
 | 4 5 . | . . . | . . . |     | 4 5 6 | 7 8 9 | 1 2 3 |     | 4 5 7 | 8 9 3 | 6 1 2 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 7 8 9 | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 |     | 9 8 6 | 2 1 7 | 3 5 4 |
 |-------+-------+-------|     |-------+-------+-------|     |-------+-------+-------|
 | 2 . . | . . . | . . . |     | 2 3 1 | 5 6 4 | 8 9 7 |     | 2 7 4 | 5 3 8 | 1 9 6 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 5 6 4 | 8 9 7 | 2 3 1 |     | 5 3 1 | 9 6 4 | 8 2 7 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 8 9 7 | 2 3 1 | 5 6 4 |     | 6 9 8 | 7 2 1 | 4 3 5 |
 |-------+-------+-------|     |-------+-------+-------|     |-------+-------+-------|
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 3 1 2 | 6 4 5 | 9 7 8 |     | 3 4 2 | 6 8 5 | 9 7 1 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 6 4 5 | 9 7 8 | 3 1 2 |     | 7 1 5 | 3 4 9 | 2 6 8 |
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |     | 9 7 8 | 3 1 2 | 6 4 5 |     | 8 6 9 | 1 7 2 | 5 4 3 |
 *-----------------------*     *-----------------------*     *-----------------------*


JPF

[daj95376]

Okay, <89> have been removed from [r2]. But, are any of the other cells common between the minimum and the maximum forced ??? There's enough to where the magic number 17 might be found.