private void eliminateDuplicates( LinkedList list, Vector states)

    {

        for( int j = 0; j < states.size(); j++ )

        {

            Node temp = (Node) states.elementAt( j );

	    Iterator it = list.listIterator();

	    while (it.hasNext()) {

		Node n = (Node) it.next();

		if (n.state.equals(temp.state)) {

		    // found the state in the list

		    if (n.heuristic < temp.heuristic) {

			// what's already in the list is better than the one

			// in states, so don't need that one.

			states.removeElementAt(j);

			break;

		    }

		    else {

			// the new state is better than the one on the list,

			// so can get rid of the one on the list

			it.remove();

			break;

		    }

		}

	    }

	}