how to not rewrite a new diagram for each local question?

[niwilson]

I always feel like I am going back to square 1 whenever I am presented with a local question, as in I always feel that I have to rewrite my diagrams to accommodate all the new conditions. Is there a way to not do this? It is seriously slowing me down. Thanks

[niwilson]

Okay, actually, to be more precise, I think my problem is I spend too much time writing, erasing, and wading through hypothetical scenarios for each local question. I eventually stumble upon the correct answer, but this is a very lengthy and inefficient process. How can I be more efficient and not have to "plug in" multiple hypotheticals/create multiple sequences for each problem? In other words, under what conditions should I be "plugging in" hypotheticals to arrive at correct answers? (If that makes any sense...) Thank you in advance!

[Frank Peter]

Hi Wilson,

Rest assured that plugging in hypotheticals is sometimes the best way to approach a local question! To maximize your efficiency, approach it as an iterative process. For example, if we have a 7-slot ordering game, and our local question asks "if G is in the third slot, in which slots could A go?" I would start in the leftmost slot, plug in A, and then plug in the rest of my variables and see whether or not I get a valid diagram. Then I would redo my diagram with A moved over to the next slot it could conceivably go, and work through the same process until I've run out of slots where I could place A. Working through the different variations in this way will also help you understand the mechanics of the game better - you may notice inferences you can make as you work through that you may have missed when you were drawing up your master diagram.

This may seem like a painstaking process, but all the work you're doing is adding to your knowledge about the game! Every time you produce a valid diagram (meaning, an ordering of variables that doesn't violate any of the rules of the game), it's important that you don't erase your work - you may be able to use your previous work to help you answer global questions later on.