NAME
Sim::AgentSoar::Node - Formal search state representation
DESCRIPTION
Sim::AgentSoar::Node represents a single state in the explicit search tree managed by Sim::AgentSoar::AgentSoar.
Each node is an immutable snapshot of the search state at a given depth. It encodes both structural position in the tree and evaluation metadata.
Conceptual Role
A Node formalizes the separation between:
Structural recursion (tree topology)
Deterministic evaluation (metric)
Heuristic action (operator_applied)
Nodes do not contain behavioral logic. They are purely representational.
This design enforces:
Deterministic state tracking
Explicit parent-child relationships
Transparent reconstruction of solution paths
Isolation of heuristic decisions from structural control
Fields
Each Node instance contains:
id
Unique numeric identifier.
parent
Identifier of the parent node (undef for root).
value
Domain state value (integer in calibration domain).
metric
Evaluation score relative to target.
depth
Depth in search tree.
operator
Operator applied to reach this node.
Research Significance
The Node abstraction embodies the explicit search paradigm:
AgentSoar is structural, not narrative.
Heuristics may influence expansion, but the search state remains fully inspectable and reconstructible.
This makes the architecture suitable for:
Empirical evaluation
Deterministic replay
Controlled architectural evolution
Instrumented experimentation
AUTHOR
Gian Luca Brunetti (2026), gianluca.brunetti@gmail.com