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AC-3 algorithm
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Constraint_satisfaction/PXI74p1T">constraint satisfaction</a>, the AC-3 algorithm (short for <a href="/facts/Arc_consistency/wqM9hKc1">Arc Consistency</a> Algorithm #3) is one of a series of <a href="/facts/Algorithm/fnl5NmRt">algorithms</a> used for the solution of <a href="/facts/Constraint_satisfaction_problem/oKCeIV2L">constraint satisfaction problems</a> (or CSPs). It was developed by <a href="/facts/Alan_Mackworth/3oBx3r20">Alan Mackworth</a> in 1977. The earlier AC algorithms are often considered too inefficient, and many of the later ones are difficult to implement, and so AC-3 is the one most often taught and used in very simple constraint solvers. The AC-3 algorithm is not to be confused with the similarly named A3C algorithm in machine learning. </p>