Identify and compare four different heuristics for problem solving. In your discussion, describe the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy identified.

Heuristics are rules of thumb that help in simplifying and solving problems, but may not guarantee the correct solution to a problem. Hill climbing is a heuristic in which each step moves you closer to the final goal, which helps determine how far you have come and how far there is to go. Subgoals are another heuristic, in which you break down the problem into smaller, more manageable pieces that are easier to solve than the full problem. Means-end analysis attempts to reduce the discrepancy between the current situation and the desired goal at a number of intermediate points, and unlike hill climbing, takes into account the entire problem. Finally, working backward involves going back from the desired goal to the given condition. If the goal has more information than the givens, this heuristic can be useful.