it is more useful to think of the values as estimates of the gain to be expected from further search along the path than to think of them as “values” in any more direct sense. For example, it may be desirable to attach a relatively high value to a partial exploration that may lead to a very good solution but with a low probability. If the prospect fades on further exploration, only the cost of the search has been lost. The disappointing outcome need not be accepted, but an alternative path may be taken instead. Thus the scheme for attaching values to partial paths may be quite different from
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