Checking Sudoku Solutions on Codewars

I have come across this JavaScript code which seems to be functioning correctly. However, I am curious about the line board[3][8] != board[8][3] and how it checks for repeating row and column numbers. Can someone please provide an explanation? Thank you!

function validSolution(board) {
    let count0 = 0;
    let count1 = 0;
    let count2 = 0;
    let count3 = 0;
    let count4 = 0;
    let count5 = 0;
    let count6 = 0;
    let count7 = 0;
    let count8 = 0;
    let count9 = 0;
    
    for (let i = 0; i < board.length; i++) {
        count0 += board[i][0];
        count1 += board[i][1];
        count2 += board[i][2];
        count3 += board[i][3];
        count4 += board[i][4];
        count5 += board[i][5];
        count6 += board[i][6];
        count7 += board[i][7];
        count8 += board[i][8];
    }

    return (count0 === 45 && count1 === 45 && count2 === 45 && count3 === 45 
        && count4 === 45 && count5 === 45 && count6 === 45 && count7 === 45 &&
        count8 === 45 && board[3][8] != board[8][3] );
}

Answer №1

Ensuring some variation in the numbers on the board through an additional check does not guarantee that the solution is valid.

Consider this example board:

let board = [
 [5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5],
 [5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5],
 [5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5],
 [4,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,6],
 [5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5],
 [6,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,4],
 [5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5],
 [5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5],
 [5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5]
];

All rows total 45, yet positions [3][8] and [8][3] are not equal. Despite this, validSolution mistakenly recognizes this board as valid...

Another validation method I devised:

function validSolution(board) {
  var boardx = board.map(x => new Set(x).size == 9 ? x.reduce((a,b) => a+b, 0) : 0);
  var boardy = board[0].map((x,col,b) => board.map(x => x[col])).map(x => new Set(x).size == 9 ? x.reduce((a,b) => a+b, 0) : 0);
  return new Set(boardx).size == 1 && boardx[0] == 45 && new Set(boardy).size == 1 && boardy[0] == 45;
}

A brief explanation:

boardx calculates each row's sum (x.reduce((a,b) => a+b, 0)) if it contains 9 unique values (new Set(x).size == 9 1)

boardy computes the sum of each column after 'rotating' the grid (

board[0].map((x,col,b) => board.map(x => x[col]))
, followed by a similar process as above.

In a valid board, both boardx and boardy must consist of 9 elements with a value of 45. Therefore, we verify if both arrays contain only one unique value, which is 45.


1 The Set object stores unique values, making it ideal for quickly checking array uniqueness.

Answer №2

Is it really important to note that [8][3] is not equal to [3][8]? In the game of sudoku, these cells are completely independent of each other.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

Guide on how to switch a class on the body using React's onClick event

There's a button in my code that triggers the display of a modal-like div element. When this button is clicked, I aim to apply a class to the body element; then when the close button is clicked, I'll remove this class. I'm looking for guid ...

How can I use jQuery to retrieve the total number of elements in a dropdown list?

I am working with a dropdown list that looks like this: <select id="ddlProjects"> <option value="315">resproject</option> <option value="320" style-"display:inline">newheavn</option> <option value="395" style="di ...

Exploring the benefits of integrating Apache Thrift with TypeScript

After running the apache thrift compiler, I now have generated .js and .d.ts files. How do I incorporate these files into my current Angular2/Typescript project? I attempted to do so with the following lines of code: ///<reference path="./thrift.d.ts"/ ...

Adjusting the background element of a fullpage.js layout during resizing and customization

Is there a way to make the background image responsive on a fullpage.js page, specifically for mobile and tablet devices? How can I ensure that a specific part of the image stays at the center of the page when resizing? For instance, in the provided imag ...

When attempting to execute a function within another function in JavaScript, a ReferenceError is triggered

I recently developed a straightforward app that utilizes the Google Drawing Library (https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/examples/drawing-tools) to allow users to draw circles on a map. The first circle represents the source locatio ...

What is the best way to choose an item from a list nested inside a div?

Currently, I am facing the challenge of selecting an item from a list that is structured using a div For this task, I am utilizing WebDriver IO () <div class="selectize-dropdown demo-default select-class single" style="display: none; width: 196px; top ...

What is the best way to measure the timing of consecutive events within a web browser, utilizing JavaScript within an HTML script tag?

Currently delving into the realm of JavaScript, transitioning from a Java/Clojure background, I am attempting to implement a basic thread-sleep feature that will display lines of text on the screen at one second intervals. Initially, I considered using t ...

When attempting to submit data, the Magnific Popup page is restored to its default format

I am facing an issue with my Magnific Popup page: function dataLink(){ $.magnificPopup.open({ items: { src: 'datapage.html', type: 'ajax' }, closeOnContentClick : false, clos ...

A guide on utilizing buttons within ion list items to execute actions independently for both the button and the list item

Currently, I have a list item with a button that is displayed based on a certain condition. My issue is that when I click the button, a popup should appear, but instead, it also navigates to the next page in the background. Can someone help me figure out h ...

Get your hands on the base64 image by triggering the save as popup and downloading

I am facing a challenge with downloading a base64 image onto the user's machine. So far, I have attempted the following steps: var url = base64Image.replace(/^data:image\/[^;]+/, 'data:application/octet-stream'); window.open(url); an ...

Showing error messages in Angular when a form is submitted and found to be invalid

My form currently displays an error message under each field if left empty or invalid. However, I want to customize the behavior of the submit button when the form is invalid. <form #projectForm="ngForm" (ngSubmit)="onSubmit()"> ...

Drag and Drop Feature using Angular with JQuery UI for Cloning Elements

I've been working on a web design project where I want to create a draggable user interface. https://i.sstatic.net/Be0Jk.png The goal is for users to click and drag different types of questions from the left side to the right side of the screen. Cu ...

Slider Volume with jQuery

Struggling to find a solution for this issue. Seeking some assistance. My goal is to create a basic volume slider. So, the orange section represents my volume slider. This is the jQuery code I am using: var mouseIsDown = false; $("#volSlider").on("mou ...

Navigating a intricate JSON structure using JavaScript - the ultimate guide!

I am facing a challenge with a complex JSON object that I need to traverse and add additional properties to. Below is an example of the JSON structure: Object {root: Object} root: Object entity_children: Array[1] 0: Object ...

The Issue of Double-Clicking on Table Cells in Internet Explorer 8

I implemented a JQuery function to add a double click event listener to a table, which triggers a modal popup when a cell is double-clicked. While this functionality works seamlessly in Firefox, there is an issue in IE8 where double-clicking a cell highli ...

Sort the results by total count in Mongoose Express Node.js after grouping by id

I have a unique collection of items: { "_id": { "$oid": "5f54b3333367b91bd09f4485" }, "items": [ { "_id": 20, "name": "Turkish Coffee", "price": ...

The Angular component is failing to display the template

After following a tutorial on UI-Router () I have implemented the following states in my Angular application: angular .module('appRoutes', ["ui.router"]) .config(['$stateProvider', '$urlRouterProvider', function($sta ...

Issue: The THREE.GLTFLoader cannot process this asset. Only glTF versions below 2.0 are compatible

Upon utilizing three.js, I encountered an error while parsing data from the GLTF JSON file. This file was exported from the three.js 3D viewer and editor, indicating a version of 4.5 in the JSON content. Highlighted below is the JSX code snippet: import { ...

Sort your Laravel pagination table effortlessly with just one click

Here is my current setup: <table class="table table-striped"> <tr> <th> Item Image </th> <th> Item Number </th> <th> Item Name </th> <th> Description </th> ...

What is the best method for extracting a particular value from my dataset?

I'm interested in creating a variable that stores the IsUserSiteOwner value from the data. Can someone help me with this? Any suggestions on how I can achieve this task? ...