To understand the functionality of search algorithms, we first need to understand basic searching concepts, such as the state, the ingredients of a search, and the nodes:
- State: The state is defined as the space where the search process takes place. It basically answers the question—what are we searching for? For example, in a navigation application, a state is a place. In our search application, a state is a file or folder.
- Ingredients of a search: There are three main ingredients in a search algorithm. These ingredients are as follows, using the example of a treasure hunt:
- Initial state: This answers the question—where do we begin our search? In our example, the initial state would be the location where we begin ...
