Exploring Non-Linear structures may require backtracking.
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Linear: need to know where we are
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Non-Linear: need to know where we are and where we have been (Theseus and the Minotaur, Help from Ariadne)
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Keep track of each choice we make
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Go back to the decision point and explore the consequences of making a different choice
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Eliminate the possible choices at each intersection one at a time until you solve the problem
Data Structures 2 emphasizes backtracking:
The major data structures we look at in Data Structures 1 don't typically use backtracking.