Definition
Constraint satisfaction
Constraint satisfaction means finding an assignment that meets every constraint at the same time.
What it means
You may have several choices and several rules. Constraint satisfaction means finding one complete arrangement where no rule is broken. A partial arrangement is only progress; it is not a solution until every item is placed and every constraint checks out.
Remember it
One complete assignment, every rule passed.
Example
Seat Lina, Mo, Nia, and Omar in a row. Mo must sit immediately left of Nia, Lina must sit at an end, and Omar must sit right of Nia. Lina–Mo–Nia–Omar satisfies all three constraints.
Watch for
An assignment that satisfies only some constraints is not a solution to the full problem.
Common mix-up
Constraint satisfaction is the whole solving task; a constraint is one rule inside that task.
Exact meaning
Constraint satisfaction is the task of choosing values or arranging objects so that all stated constraints are satisfied simultaneously. In a constraint satisfaction problem, variables have allowed values, and a solution assigns values that make every constraint true.