ABSTRACT
Constraints When a goal is blocked you have a problem; when you know ways round the block or how to remove it, you have less of a problem. Often the blocks are caused by the constraints that are imposed by the problem itself (the Tower of Hanoi wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the constraints; jetting off for a holiday in Mexico wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the constraints of money, job, small infants to look after). The environment can impose constraints-a particular task might become difficult when there is a lot of loud noise or when the weather turns bad. Finally, there are constraints imposed by the solver. An inability to solve some problems may be due to unnecessary constraints that were not mentioned in the problem statement. Insight problems are one example, but the same occurs in everyday problems-I have a meeting to chair and there are diverging views about the topic; how do I get an agreement and avoid confrontation? Assuming that you have to choose one view over another may be an unnecessary constraint. There may a third way. Relaxing constraints or switching to a different problem space may permit a new way of representing the problem.
