Search space

The search space of a search problem is the set that is to be searched for the objects to be found. Which search method is suitable depends on the nature of this set .

If the search space is finite , even the simplest search method, the linear search , in principle always leads to the goal. The entire search area is searched in full. If the search space is very large or infinite , the expenditure of time forces you to use more efficient search methods. These search the search space only partially, but specifically, for which knowledge or assumptions ( heuristics ) about the structure of the search space are required.