In addition, testing the various answers using this approach generally wastes resources, such as memory. Think of it this way: You want to break the combination for a lock, so you begin at 0, 0, 0, even though you know that this particular combination has no chance of success given the physical characteristics of combination locks. A brute-force solution would proceed with testing 0, 0, 0 anyway and then move on to the equally ridiculous 0, 0, 1.
It's important to understand that every solution type does come with advantages, sometimes quite small. A brute-force solution has one such advantage. Because you test every answer anyway, you don't need to perform any sort of preprocessing when working with a brute-force solution. The time saved in skipping the preprocessing, though, is unlikely to ever pay back the time lost in trying every answer. However, you may find occasion to use a brute-force solution when
- Finding a solution, if one exists, is essential.
- The problem size is limited.
- You can use heuristics to reduce the size of the solution set.
- Simplicity of implementation is more important than speed.
