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compare and contrast dijkstras algorithm and a* algorithm.
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the dijkstra’s algorithm and a* algorithm are both path finding algorithms used for solving the shortest path problem in a graph. both algorithms guarantee to find the optimal path from the source node to the goal node. 

the main difference between these algorithms is that the dijkstra's algorithm uses a breadth-first search approach, while the a* algorithm adopts a heuristic-based search approach. dijkstra's algorithm is a simple and straightforward pathfinding algorithm, while the a* algorithm is more complex and efficient and uses the heuristic function to determine the most efficient path. additionally, dijkstra’s algorithm is not informed and uses uniform-cost search while a* is informed and uses the heuristic cost.
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