Puzzle 86368 226041345 2008-07-16T15:49:49Z Marasmusine 157381 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/67.162.24.4|67.162.24.4]] ([[User talk:67.162.24.4|talk]]) to last version by MrOllie [[Image:Puzzle undone.JPG|thumb|150 px|A puzzle undone, which forms a [[cube]]]] [[Image:A Puzzle.JPG|thumb|150 px|Puzzle cube; a type of puzzle]] {{otheruses}} {{Redirect|Puzzle solving|the concept in Thomas Kuhn's philosophy of science|normal science}} A '''puzzle''' is a [[problem]] or [[enigma]] that challenges [[ingenuity]]. In a basic puzzle one is intended to piece together objects in a logical way in order to come up with the desired shape, picture or solution. Puzzles are often contrived as a form of entertainment, but they can also stem from serious mathematical or logistical problems &mdash; in such cases, their successful resolution can be a significant contribution to mathematical [[research]]. Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing [[pattern]]s and creating a particular order. People with a high [[inductive reasoning aptitude]] may be better at solving these puzzles than others. Puzzles based on the process of [[inquiry]] and discovery to complete may be solved faster by those with good [[deduction]] skills. ==History== [[Image:CrosswordUK.svg|thumb|right|An example of a British-style [[crossword puzzle]].]] The first jigsaw puzzle was made around 1760, when [[John Spilsbury]], a British engraver and mapmaker, mounted a map on a sheet of wood that he then sawed around each individual country. Spilsbury used the product to aid in teaching geography. After catching on with the wider public, this remained the primary use of jigsaw puzzles until about 1820.<ref>[http://www.jigsaw-puzzle.org/jigsaw-puzzle-history.html Puzzle History<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In the early 1900s, magazines and newspapers found that they could increase their daily subscriptions by publishing [[puzzle contests]]. ==Contemporary puzzles== A sample of notable puzzle authors includes [[Sam Loyd]], [[Henry Dudeney]], [[Boris Kordemsky]] and, more recently, [[David J. Bodycombe]], [[Will Shortz]] and [[Martin Gardner]]. There are organizations and events catering puzzle enthusiasts such as the [[International Puzzle Party]], the [[World Puzzle Championship]] and the [[National Puzzlers' League]]. There are also Puzzlehunts like [[Maze of Games]]. The [[Rubik's Cube]] and other [[magic polyhedron]]s are [[toy]]s based on puzzles that can be stimulating toys for kids and are a recreational activity for adults. Puzzles can be used to hide or obscure objects. A good example is a [[puzzle box]] used to hide [[jewelry]]. [[Game]]s are often based on a puzzle. For example there are thousands of [[computer puzzle game]]s and many [[letter game]]s, [[word game]]s and [[mathematical game]]s which require solutions to puzzles as part of the gameplay. One of the most popular puzzle games is [[Tetris]]. In video games, [[jumping puzzle]]s are common. A [[chess problem]] is a puzzle that uses chess pieces on a chess board. ==Types of puzzles== The large number of puzzles that have been created can be divided into categories, for example a [[maze]] is a type of [[tour puzzle]]. Other categories include [[construction puzzle]]s, [[stick puzzle]]s, [[tiling puzzle]]s, [[transport puzzle]]s, [[disentanglement puzzle]]s, [[sliding puzzle]]s, [[logic puzzle]]s, [[word puzzle]]s, [[picture puzzle]]s, [[jigsaw puzzle]]s, [[lock puzzle]]s, [[Mechanical puzzle#Fold Puzzles|folding puzzle]]s, [[combination puzzles]] and [[mechanical puzzle]]s. A [[meta-puzzle]] is a puzzle which unites or incorporates elements of other puzzles. It is often found in [[puzzlehunt]]s. ==Well-known puzzles== {{col-begin}} {{col-3}} [[Image:Rubiks cube scrambled.jpg|thumb||none|[[Rubik's Cube]].]] {{col-3}} *[[Anagram]]s *[[Connect the dots]] *[[Crossword]] *[[Eight queens]] *[[n-puzzle]] (a.k.a. Fifteen puzzle) *[[Impossible Puzzle| Impossible]] *[[Jigsaw Puzzle| Jigsaw]] *[[Kakuro| Kakuro]] *[[Knight's Tour]] *[[Missing square puzzle]] *[[Nonogram]]s (a.k.a. Gridders, Paint by numbers, etc.) *[[Peg solitaire]] *[[Puzz-3D]] {{col-3}} *[[Rubik's Cube]] *[[Sangaku]] *[[Seven Bridges of Königsberg]] *[[Slitherlink]] *[[Sudoku]] *[[Sokoban]] *[[Soma cube]] *[[Spot the difference]] *[[Tangram]] *[[Water, gas, and electricity]] *[[Three cups problem]] *[[Tower of Hanoi]] {{col-end}} ==Etymology== The 1989 edition of the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' dates the word ''puzzle'' (as a [[verb]]) to the end of the [[16th century]]. That first documented use comes from a book called ''The Voyage of [[Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick|Robert Dudley]]...to the West Indies, 1594-95, narrated by Capt. Wyatt, by himself, and by Abram Kendall, master'' (published circa 1595). Their research, based on the "chronology of the words, and still more the consideration of their sense-history, seem[s] to make it clear that the verb came first, and that the noun was its derivative." ==Related categories== *[[:Category:Puzzle books]] *[[:Category:Puzzle designers]] *[[:Category:Puzzle video games]] ==See also== {{Wiktionary|puzzle}} {{Wikibooks|Puzzles}} *[[List of puzzle topics]] *[[List of impossible puzzles]] *[[List of puzzle-based computer and video games]] *[[Brain teaser]] *[[Dilemma]] *[[Optical illusion]] *[[Paradox]] *[[Riddle]] ==References== {{reflist}} *''Creative Puzzles of the World'', 1980, Plenary Publications International *''Denkspiele Der Welt'', München 1977,1981, Heinrich Hugendubel Verlag ==External links== *[http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/slocum/ The Jerry Slocum Mechanical Puzzle Collection] Presented by the Lilly Library of Indiana University. *[http://www.rec-puzzles.org The puzzle archive of the rec.puzzles newsgroup] *{{dmoz|Games/Puzzles|Puzzles}} [[Category:Puzzles| ]] [[Category:Problem solving]] [[ca:Trencaclosques]] [[de:Geduldsspiel]] [[es:Rompecabezas]] [[eo:Enigmo]] [[fr:Casse-tête]] [[ga:Dúcheist]] [[io:Puzlo]] [[id:Tebakan]] [[it:Rompicapo]] [[he:חידה]] [[mk:Загатка]] [[nl:Puzzel]] [[ja:パズル]] [[pt:Quebra-cabeça]] [[ru:Головоломка]] [[sl:Uganka]] [[th:ปริศนา]] [[zh:智力游戏]]