Overview
Python Hanoi is a console-based simulation of the classic Towers of Hanoi mathematical puzzle. The program initializes the game with a configurable number of disks, then uses a recursive algorithm to move all disks from the origin tower to the target tower in the minimum possible number of moves (2^n - 1).
Each move is printed to the console with a 0.5-second delay, showing the current state of all three towers with color-coded disks. The simulation runs autonomously until completion — demonstrating both the recursive solution algorithm and the exponential growth of the problem space.
Key Features
- Optimal recursive solver: Uses the classic recursive algorithm guaranteeing the minimum move count
- Visual step-through: Each disk move is printed with tower state visualization and a half-second pause
- Color-coded disks: Disks are rendered with distinct colors for easy tracking across towers
- Configurable complexity: Number of disks set at game initialization (limited by available colors)
- Stack-based tower model: Each tower is a Stack data structure tracking disk placement and count
Design
The program consists of three main classes:
| Class | Role |
|---|---|
| Game | Manages game state, recursive play loop, timed move visualization |
| Stack | Tower representation — tracks disk count, supports push/pop |
| Disk | Individual disk with integer size and color string |
The Game class uses a recursive method to plan all moves, then executes them sequentially with a time.sleep(0.5) delay between each move. The Stack class enforces the game constraint that a larger disk cannot be placed on top of a smaller one.
Tech Stack
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Language | Python 3 |
| Algorithm | Recursive divide-and-conquer |
| Data Structure | Custom Stack implementation |