Opinion | Why Right-Hand Rule for Mazes Works (Published 1989) (2024)

FAQs

Does the right-hand rule work for mazes? ›

The stick to the left (or right) hand wall rule works only for mazes that are “simply connected.” A maze is simply connected it if contains no loops. In graph theory terms, the maze is a tree. The following maze is a simple example of a maze where the left/right wall rule doesn't work. The goal is in the middle.

There are passing references to this story in Homer, but the best known account comes from Ovid in Metamorphoses. Θ • The most widely known strategy for solving a maze is called the right-hand rule, in which you put your right hand on the wall and keep it there until you find an exit.

The most devious mazes are designed to be as confusing as possible, with dead ends and identical-looking junctions. But there is a stunningly simple rule that will always get you out of a maze, no matter how complicated: always turn right.

The trick is surprisingly simple: just keep turning right. A maze is essentially divided into 2 large sections either side of the ideal solution path. So, following along the wall at the beginning of the maze will eventually lead you to same part of the wall at the exit.

Invented in the 19th century by British physicist John Ambrose Fleming for applications in electromagnetism, the right hand rule is most often used to determine the direction of a third parameter when the other two are known (magnetic field, current, magnetic force).

You can refer to a set of ideas, topics, or rules as a maze when a large number of them are related to each other in a complicated way that makes them difficult to understand. ...the maze of rules and regulations.

(No one runs the maze at night because of the deadly dangers inside.) The Glader society is built on three rules: 1) Do your part, 2) Never hurt another Glader and 3) Never go beyond the walls.

Dead-End Pruning

This can be a time-consuming method, but it will always produce a clear path through the maze by the end of the process. The technique is simple enough — starting at the end of the maze, block off every dead end you find. Eventually only the one-true path will remain.

It's possible to escape many mazes by walking round them keeping one hand in constant contact with the wall. But some mazes are designed to defeat this technique, and need Tremaux's Rule: at each junction, choose any route, back-tracking only if it leads to a dead end or a junction you've already visited.

Always Right - This algorithm is a classic maze solution. It works by turning to your right each time you need to change directions. Everything At Once - This algorithm is known as breadth-first in computer science.

What is the right-hand rule corn maze? ›

As you navigate a corn maze, always follow the right-hand rule. Stick to the right-hand side of the maze and follow it all the way around. Stay calm. If you do get lost, don't panic.

The "Left Hand Rule" approach is to make your way through the maze, while choosing how to turn at intersections as follows: Always turn left if you can. If you cannot turn left, go straight. If you cannot turn left, or go straight, turn right.

Following the Right-Hand Rule

Trying to do this in the middle of a maze will keep you lost. Start walking, following the right wall. Always keep your hand along the wall for guidance. Walk ahead, away from the exit, until you reach an intersection or a dead end.

If upon entering a maze, one immediately puts out one's right hand, touches the entryway wall and then faithfully follows the right wall, the exit will be found without fail.

Mazes containing no loops are known as "simply connected", or "perfect" mazes, and are equivalent to a tree in graph theory. Maze-solving algorithms are closely related to graph theory. Intuitively, if one pulled and stretched out the paths in the maze in the proper way, the result could be made to resemble a tree.

It's possible to escape many mazes by walking round them keeping one hand in constant contact with the wall. But some mazes are designed to defeat this technique, and need Tremaux's Rule: at each junction, choose any route, back-tracking only if it leads to a dead end or a junction you've already visited.

Soon after that surprising detour, I discovered that the old right-turn (or “wall-follower”) method indeed works, so long as the maze is “simply connected,” which means that all of the walls are attached to one another and then to the outer border. You may hit some dead ends, but you'll always find the exit.