Imagine you are guiding a robot through a grid-based maze using the A* algorithm. The robot is currently at node A (start) and wants to reach node B (goal). The heuristic function $h(n)$ is the Euclidean distance between a node and the goal. The cost function $g(n)$ is the cumulative cost to reach a particular node. Now, let's calculate the A* values for some nodes:
Node C: $g(C) = 10$, $h(C) = 8$
Node D: $g(D) = 5$, $h(D) = 12$
Node E: $g(E) = 12$, $h(E) = 6$
Which node should the algorithm explore next based on the A* calculation?
A) Node C
B) Node D
C) Node E
D) Not enough information to decide