In a study, researchers gave participants the anagram "EAPNTLOH" and asked them to find the hidden word. One group was told to systematically test every possible letter arrangement until a word emerged. A second group was told to focus first on common English letter pairs (such as "th" and "ph") and to start consonants and vowels in plausible patterns. Members of the second group typically solved the puzzle in less than half the time.
Which is the most accurate trade-off between algorithms and heuristics?
- A
Algorithms are faster but unreliable; heuristics always guarantee a solution.
- Bcheck_circle
Algorithms are slower but reliable; heuristics are faster but error-prone.
- C
Heuristics are only used by computers, not humans.
- D
Both are equally fast and accurate.
Explanation
Algorithms guarantee a solution but can be time-consuming because they test every possibility. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that are usually fast and often correct but can lead to systematic errors.