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Solving Complex Problems Through Backward Induction
Finding out where you began by studying where you ended up
Often in problem-solving, we find a solution but aren’t sure how we got there. Backward induction is the process of reasoning backwards in time, from the end of a problem or situation, to determine a sequence of optimal actions. It proceeds by first considering the last time a decision might be made and choosing what to do in any situation at that time. Using this information, one can then determine what to do at the second-to-last time of decision. This process continues backwards until one has determined the best action for every possible situation at every point in time. It was first used by Ernst Friedrich Ferdinand Zermelo the German logician and mathematician, in 1913, to prove that chess has pure optimal strategies.
Zermelo’s ideas have had major implications for the foundations of mathematics, for decision science, and in my own work in applied game theory.
Preston Eart a student of Applied Math offered a simple explanation of backward induction on Quora.com
He states as follows;
“If you want to know if you can build a simple bridge with planks of wood across a gap, one way you can show it’s possible is to demonstrate that…
