Puzzle
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aptitude]] may be better at solving such puzzles compared to others. But puzzles based upon inquiry and discovery may be solved more easily by those with good deduction skills. Deductive reasoning improves with practice. Mathematical puzzles often involve BODMAS. BODMAS is an acronym which stands for Bracket, Of, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. In certain regions, PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction) is the synonym of BODMAS. It explains the order of operations to solve an expression. Some mathematical puzzles require Top to Bottom convention to avoid the ambiguity in the order of operations. It is an elegantly simple idea that relies, as sudoku does, on the requirement that numbers appear only once starting from top to bottom as coming along.[1]
Puzzle makers
Puzzle makers are people who make puzzles. In general terms of occupation, a puzzler is someone who composes and/or solves puzzles.
Some notable creators of puzzles are:
- Ernő Rubik
- Sam Loyd
- Henry Dudeney
- Boris Kordemsky
- David J. Bodycombe
- Will Shortz
- Oskar van Deventer
- Lloyd King
- Martin Gardner
- Raymond Smullyan
History of jigsaw and other puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles are perhaps the most popular form of puzzle. Jigsaw puzzles were invented around 1760, when John Spilsbury, a British engraver and cartographer, mounted a map on a sheet of wood, which he then sawed around the outline of each individual country on the map. He then used the resulting pieces as an aid for the teaching of geography.[2]
After becoming popular among the public, this kind of teaching aid remained the primary use of jigsaw puzzles until about 1820.[3]
The largest puzzle (40,320 pieces) is made by a German game company Ravensburger.[4] The smallest puzzle ever made was created at LaserZentrum Hannover. It is only five square millimeters, the size of a sand grain.
The puzzles that were first documented are riddles. In Europe, Greek mythology produced riddles like the riddle of the Sphinx. Many riddles were produced during the Middle Ages, as well.[5]
By the early 20th century, magazines and newspapers found that they could increase their readership by publishing puzzle contests, beginning with crosswords and in modern days sudoku.
Organizations and events
There are organizations and events that cater to puzzle enthusiasts, such as:
- Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition
- World Puzzle Championship
- National Puzzlers' League
- National Puzzle Day
- Puzzlehunts such as the Maze of Games
- World Cube Association
See also
- List of impossible puzzles
- List of Nikoli puzzle types – Japanese puzzle publisher and magazine
- Riddle – Statement with a double meaning used as a puzzle
References
- ^ Wilson, R. "Sudoka Number Game". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "History of Puzzles | PuzzleWarehouse.com". www.puzzlewarehouse.com. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
- ^ History of Jigsaw Puzzles Archived 2014-02-11 at the Wayback Machine The American Jigsaw Puzzle Society
- ^ "The worlds biggest Puzzle | Ravensburger". www.ravensburger.us. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
- ^ "A Brief History of Puzzles". Puzzle Museum. 6 April 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020.
Further reading
- van Delft, Pieter; Botermans, Jack (1978). Creative puzzles of the world. Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-30300-7.
External links
