SEND + MORE = MONEY, Part 1
July 31, 2012
A classic puzzle of recreational mathematics is the cryptarithm, where the solver is given a math problem in words and must systematically substitute digits for the letters of the puzzle to form a valid calculation. For instance, the famous cryptarithm SEND + MORE = MONEY is solved as M=1, Y=2, E=5, N=6, D=7, R=8, S=9 and O=0, giving 9567 + 1085 = 10652. Cryptarithms were invented by H. E. Dudeney in the July 1924 edition of Strand Magazine.
We are going to give four solutions to this puzzle, two slow ones today and two fast ones in the next exercise. Our first solution is simple brute force, using nested loops to generate all possible solutions and testing each to see if it forms a valid calculation. Our second solution is backtracking, which is similar to the generate-and-test solution.
Your task is to write the two solutions to the SEND + MORE = MONEY problem described above. When you are finished, you are welcome to read or run a suggested solution, or to post your own solution or discuss the exercise in the comments below.
Programming Praxis 