Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c868IR // #c868Synthesis

Before you inspect something fully, check the single most informative fact first, the one that, if wrong, rules the whole thing out. When that fact clears, skip. The more specific your target, the faster you can eliminate.

— In our words · Source: Algorithms Every Programmer Should Know (Aniket Wattamwar)

[Use when]

You are narrowing a large field and cannot afford to examine everything in full.

[Why it matters]

If the thing you are looking at cannot possibly be part of the answer, skip past it entirely.

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