◈ Priority Queue (Min-Heap) — Dijkstra's Secret Weapon
The smallest cost is always extracted first (blue). This greedy choice guarantees optimality.
↑ Blue bar is always dequeued first — the node with the lowest known distance
◈ Dijkstra vs A* — Same Maze, Different Strategy
Dijkstra — Explores Blindly
A* — Guided by Heuristic
Dijkstra cells explored
A* cells explored
A* reduction