Eight Puzzle

This applet demostrates A* search to solve the eight-puzzle (or you can just play with the eight puzzle yourself if you want to). It requires a Java-compatible browser to run.

• Click Shuffle to mix up the eight puzzle a little bit.
• Click Solve to solve the eight puzzle using A* with the "manhattan distance" heuristic. The right-hand panel will show the search tree as it is expanded.
• Click Halt to halt the solver if you get bored.
• Click the + or - buttons above the search tree to zoom in or out on the tree.
• Or, if you want to play with the eight puzzle "by hand", click on a tile to move it. (This won't work while the solver is running.)

Enjoy!

The source.