The focus of the papers presented in these proceedings is on employing various methodologies and approaches for solving real-life problems. Although the mechanisms that the human brain employs to solve problems are not yet completely known, we do have good insight into the functional processing performed by the human mind. On the basis of the understanding of these natural processes, scientists in the field of applied intelligence have developed multiple types of artificial processes, and have employed them successfully in solving real-life problems. The types of approaches used to solve problems are dependant on both the nature of the problem and the expected outcome. While knowledge-based systems are useful for solving problems in well-understood domains with relatively stable environments, the approach may fail when the domain knowledge is either not very well understood or changing rapidly. The techniques of data discovery through data mining will help to alleviate some problems faced by knowledge-based approaches to solving problems in such domains. Research and development in the area of artificial intelligence are influenced by opportunity, needs, and the availability of resources. The rapid advancement of Internet technology and the trend of increasing bandwidths provide an opportunity and a need for intelligent information processing, thus creating an excellent opportunity for agent-based computations and learning. Over 40% of the papers appearing in the conference proceedings focus on the area of machine learning and intelligent agents - clear evidence of growing interest in this area.

One of the most important functions of artificial intelligence, automated problem solving, consists mainly of the development of software systems designed to find solutions to problems. These systems utilize a search space and algorithms in order to reach a solution. Artificial Intelligence for Advanced Problem Solving Techniques offers scholars and practitioners cutting-edge research on algorithms and techniques such as search, domain independent heuristics, scheduling, constraint satisfaction, optimization, configuration, and planning, and highlights the relationship between the search categories and the various ways a specific application can be modeled and solved using advanced problem solving techniques.

The focus of the papers presented in these proceedings is on employing various methodologies and approaches for solving real-life problems. Although the mechanisms that the human brain employs to solve problems are not yet completely known, we do have good insight into the functional processing performed by the human mind. On the basis of the understanding of these natural processes, scientists in the field of applied intelligence have developed multiple types of artificial processes, and have employed them successfully in solving real-life problems. The types of approaches used to solve problems are dependant on both the nature of the problem and the expected outcome. While knowledge-based systems are useful for solving problems in well-understood domains with relatively stable environments, the approach may fail when the domain knowledge is either not very well understood or changing rapidly. The techniques of data discovery through data mining will help to alleviate some problems faced by knowledge-based approaches to solving problems in such domains. Research and development in the area of artificial intelligence are influenced by opportunity, needs, and the availability of resources. The rapid advancement of Internet technology and the trend of increasing bandwidths provide an opportunity and a need for intelligent information processing, thus creating an excellent opportunity for agent-based computations and learning. Over 40% of the papers appearing in the conference proceedings focus on the area of machine learning and intelligent agents - clear evidence of growing interest in this area.

Machine learning is an emerging area of computer science that deals with the design and development of new algorithms based on various types of data. Machine Learning Algorithms for Problem Solving in Computational Applications: Intelligent Techniques addresses the complex realm of machine learning and its applications for solving various real-world problems in a variety of disciplines, such as manufacturing, business, information retrieval, and security. This premier reference source is essential for professors, researchers, and students in artificial intelligence as well as computer science and engineering.

The fun and simple problem-solving guide that took Japan by storm Ken Watanabe originally wrote Problem Solving 101 for Japanese schoolchildren. His goal was to help shift the focus in Japanese education from memorization to critical thinking, by adapting some of the techniques he had learned as an elite McKinsey consultant. He was amazed to discover that adults were hungry for his fun and easy guide to problem solving and decision making. The book became a surprise Japanese bestseller, with more than 370,000 in print after six months. Now American businesspeople can also use it to master some powerful skills. Watanabe uses sample scenarios to illustrate his techniques, which include logic trees and matrixes. A rock band figures out how to drive up concert attendance. An aspiring animator budgets for a new computer purchase. Students decide which high school they will attend. Illustrated with diagrams and quirky drawings, the book is simple enough for a middleschooler to understand but sophisticated enough for business leaders to apply to their most challenging problems.

State-space representations. State-space methods. Problem-representations. Problem-reduction search methods. Theorem-proving in the predicate calculus. Applications of the predicate calculus in problem solving. Predicate-calculus proof-finding methods. Index.

The purpose of this book is to introduce and explain research at the boundary between two fields that view problem solving from different perspectives. Researchers in operations research and artificial intelligence have traditionally remained separate in their activities. Recently, there has been an explosion of work at the border of the two fields, as members of both communities seek to leverage their activities and resolve problems that remain intractable to pure operations research or artificial intelligence techniques. This book presents representative results from this current flurry of activity and provides insights into promising directions for continued exploration. This book should be of special interest to researchers in artificial intelligence and operations research because it exposes a number of applications and techniques, which have benefited from the integration of problem solving strategies. Even researchers working on different applications or with different techniques can benefit from the descriptions contained here, because they provide insight into effective methods for combining approaches from the two fields. Additionally, researchers in both communities will find a wealth of pointers to challenging new problems and potential opportunities that exist at the interface between operations research and artificial intelligence. In addition to the obvious interest the book should have for members of the operations research and artificial intelligence communities, the papers here are also relevant to members of other research communities and development activities that can benefit from improvements to fundamental problem solving approaches.

Complex problem solving is the core skill for 21st Century Teams Complex problem solving is at the very top of the list of essential skills for career progression in the modern world. But how problem solving is taught in our schools, universities, businesses and organizations comes up short. In Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything you’ll learn the seven-step systematic approach to creative problem solving developed in top consulting firms that will work in any field or industry, turning you into a highly sought-after bulletproof problem solver who can tackle challenges that others balk at. The problem-solving technique outlined in this book is based on a highly visual, logic-tree method that can be applied to everything from everyday decisions to strategic issues in business to global social challenges. The authors, with decades of experience at McKinsey and Company, provide 30 detailed, real-world examples, so you can see exactly how the technique works in action. With this bulletproof approach to defining, unpacking, understanding, and ultimately solving problems, you’ll have a personal superpower for developing compelling solutions in your workplace. Discover the time-tested 7-step technique to problem solving that top consulting professionals employ Learn how a simple visual system can help you break down and understand the component parts of even the most complex problems Build team brainstorming techniques that fight cognitive bias, streamline workplanning, and speed solutions Know when and how to employ modern analytic tools and techniques from machine learning to game theory Learn how to structure and communicate your findings to convince audiences and compel action The secrets revealed in Bulletproof Problem Solving will transform the way you approach problems and take you to the next level of business and personal success.

Researchers in Artificial Intelligence have traditionally been classified into two categories: the “neaties” and the “scruffies”. According to the scruffies, the neaties concentrate on building elegant formal frameworks, whose properties are beautifully expressed by means of definitions, lemmas, and theorems, but which are of little or no use when tackling real-world problems. The scruffies are described (by the neaties) as those researchers who build superficially impressive systems that may perform extremely well on one particular case study, but whose properties and underlying theories are hidden in their implementation, if they exist at all. As a life-long, non-card-carrying scruffy, I was naturally a bit suspicious when I first started collaborating with Dieter Fensel, whose work bears all the formal hallmarks of a true neaty. Even more alarming, his primary research goal was to provide sound, formal foundations to the area of knowledge-based systems, a traditional stronghold of the scruffies - one of whom had famously declared it “an art”, thus attempting to place it outside the range of the neaties (and to a large extent succeeding in doing so).

This book lends insight into solving some well-known AI problems using the most efficient problem-solving methods by humans and computers. The book discusses the importance of developing critical-thinking methods and skills, and develops a consistent approach toward each problem. This book assembles in one place a set of interesting and challenging AI–type problems that students regularly encounter in computer science, mathematics, and AI courses. These problems are not new, and students from all backgrounds can benefit from the kind of deductive thinking that goes into solving them. The book is especially useful as a companion to any course in computer science or mathematics where there are interesting problems to solve. Features: •Addresses AI and problem-solving from different perspectives •Covers classic AI problems such as Sudoku, Map Coloring, Twelve Coins, Red Donkey, Cryptarithms, Monte Carlo Methods, Rubik’s Cube, Missionaries/Cannibals, Knight’s Tour, Monty Hall, and more •Includes a companion disc with source code, solutions, figures, and more •Offers playability sites where students can exercise the process of developing their solutions •Describes problem-solving methods that might be applied to a variety of situations eBook Customers: Companion files are available for downloading with order number/proof of purchase by writing to the publisher at [email protected].