Implementation and Visualization of Path Finding Algorithms

Learning computer science is tough for many students, especially the ones who don't have any knowledge about it previously. Just like other subjects, there are a lot of things that needs to be learned in Computer Science. It is often to seen that students find it difficult to cope up with the extreme change in their learning environment. There are many reasons why students struggle in this field. ‘Algorithms’ is one such topic that students find the most confusing. Lecturers on the other hand, also face problems in describing the algorithms to students. Based on several researches, Algorithm Visualization has been to have a positive impact on learning abilities of student. It is already known that a person can learn much more efficiently if it sees what is going on and how is it done. Pathfinding refers to the exploration of an optimal and shortest route, commencing from a designated initial point and concluding at a specified destination. Within the realm of artificial intelligence, pathfinding algorithms are specifically crafted to navigate through graph structures. These algorithms find utility in diverse domains like navigation systems, computer gaming, network architectures, and beyond. Their performance can be degraded by numerous factors such as the length of the path, size of the problem, obstacles and its distribution, data structures used and much more. Whenever a new path-finding algorithm is suggested, its performance is often investigated on the basis of the observations made when that algorithm is used. Proper design and analysis play an important role in giving an explanatory and precise evaluation. By conducting analysis of multiple research works, this study systematically categorized them based on their provisional designs, methodologies, and logical approaches. Throughout this process, this work discovered minor imperfections in these algorithms, which were frequently observed as well.