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A puzzle is a problem
Problem

A problem is an obstacle which makes it difficult to achieve a desired goal, objective or purpose. It refers to a situation, condition, or issue that is yet unresolved....
 or enigma
Enigma

An enigma is a puzzle, something mysterious or inexplicable, or a riddle or difficult problem. Also an "Enigma" can be used to describe a type of person in a way....
 that tests the ingenuity
Ingenuity

The term ingenuity or applied ideas is used in the analysis of Thomas Homer-Dixon, building on that of Paul Romer, to refer to what is usually called instructional capital....
 of the solver. In a basic puzzle one is intended to piece together objects (puzzle pieces) 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 — in such cases, their successful resolution can be a significant contribution to mathematical research
Research

Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter. The primary purpose for applied research is discovery , interpretation , and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe....
 .

Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing pattern
Pattern

A pattern, from the French language patron, is a type of theme of recurring events of or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set....
s and creating a particular order.






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Encyclopedia


A puzzle is a problem
Problem

A problem is an obstacle which makes it difficult to achieve a desired goal, objective or purpose. It refers to a situation, condition, or issue that is yet unresolved....
 or enigma
Enigma

An enigma is a puzzle, something mysterious or inexplicable, or a riddle or difficult problem. Also an "Enigma" can be used to describe a type of person in a way....
 that tests the ingenuity
Ingenuity

The term ingenuity or applied ideas is used in the analysis of Thomas Homer-Dixon, building on that of Paul Romer, to refer to what is usually called instructional capital....
 of the solver. In a basic puzzle one is intended to piece together objects (puzzle pieces) 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 — in such cases, their successful resolution can be a significant contribution to mathematical research
Research

Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the investigation of matter. The primary purpose for applied research is discovery , interpretation , and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe....
 .

Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing pattern
Pattern

A pattern, from the French language patron, is a type of theme of recurring events of or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set....
s and creating a particular order. People with a high inductive reasoning aptitude
Inductive reasoning aptitude

Inductive reasoning is a measurable aptitude for how well a person can identify a pattern within a large amount of data. Measurement is generally done in a timed test by showing four pictures or words and asking the test taker to identify which of the pictures or words does not belong in the set....
 may be better at solving these puzzles than others. Puzzles based on the process of inquiry
Inquiry

Inquiry is any process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem. A theory of inquiry is an account of the various types of inquiry and a treatment of the ways that each type of inquiry achieves its aim....
 and discovery to complete may be solved faster by those with good deduction
Deduction

Deduction can refer to one of the following usages: lower price on something* Deductive reasoning, inference in which the conclusion is of no greater generality than the premises...
 skills.

History

The first jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle

A jigsaw puzzle is a Tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellation pieces.Each piece has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture....
 was made around 1760, when John Spilsbury
John Spilsbury

John Spilsbury may refer to:*John Spilsbury , leader of the Particular Baptists in 17th-century England*John Spilsbury , London mapmaker and engraver who invented the jigsaw puzzle...
, 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.

By the early 20th century, magazines and newspapers found that they could increase their daily subscriptions by publishing puzzle contest
Puzzle contest

Puzzle contests are popular competitions in which the objective is to solve a puzzle within a given time limit, and to obtain the best possible score among all players....
s.

Contemporary puzzles

A sample of notable puzzle authors includes Sam Loyd
Sam Loyd

Samuel Loyd , born in Philadelphia and raised in New York, was an United States chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematics....
, Henry Dudeney
Henry Dudeney

Henry Ernest Dudeney was an United Kingdom author and mathematician who specialised in logic puzzles and mathematical games. He is known as one of the country's foremost creators of puzzles....
, Boris Kordemsky
Boris Kordemsky

Boris A. Kordemsky was a Russian mathematician and educator. He is best known for his popular science books and mathematical puzzles. He is the author of over 70 books and popular mathematics articles....
 and, more recently, David J. Bodycombe
David J. Bodycombe

David J. Bodycombe is a puzzle author and games consultant working in the UK, mainly on television and radio game shows , in newspapers and many puzzle books....
, Will Shortz
Will Shortz

Will Shortz is an United States puzzle creator and editor....
 and Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner is a popular American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing magic , pseudoscience, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion....
.

There are organizations and events catering puzzle enthusiasts such as the International Puzzle Party
International Puzzle Party

The International Puzzle Party is an annual meeting of mechanical puzzle enthusiasts to discuss, share, and trade mechanical puzzles. The IPP was founded by Jerry Slocum who hosted the first meeting on April 1 1978 in the living room of his home in Beverly Hills, California....
, the World Puzzle Championship
World Puzzle Championship

The World Puzzle Championship is an annual international puzzle competition run by the World Puzzle Federation. The first one was held in New York in 1992....
 and the National Puzzlers' League
National Puzzlers' League

The National Puzzlers' League is a nonprofit organization focused on puzzle, primarily in the realm of word play and word games. Founded in 1883, it is the oldest puzzlers' organization in the world....
. There are also Puzzlehunts like Maze of Games
Maze of Games

The Maze of Games is one of America's largest annual puzzlehunts, and is held at the Gen Con and Origins International Game Expo gaming conventions....
.

The Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube

File:Rubik's cube.svgThe Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungary sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik....
 and other combination puzzles
Combination puzzles

Combination puzzles, also called sequential move puzzles, consist of a set of pieces which can be manipulated into different combinations by a Group of Operator....
 are toy
Toy

A toy is an object used in Play . Toys are usually associated with children and pets, but it is not unusual for adult humans and some non-Domesticationated animals to play with toys....
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
Puzzle box

A puzzle box is a box that can only be opened through some obscure, and sometimes complicated, series of manipulations. Some puzzle boxes may require only a simple squeeze in the right spot, whereas others may require the subtle movement of several small parts, to open the box....
 used to hide jewelry.

Game
Game

A game is a structured wiktionary:activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from Manual labour, which is usually carried out for wiktionary:remuneration, and from art, which is more concerned with the expression of ideas....
s are often based on a puzzle. For example there are thousands of computer puzzle game
Computer puzzle game

Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....
s and many letter game
Letter game

A letter game involves the exchange of written Letter s, or e-mails, between two or more participants. The first player writes a letter in the voice of a newly created character; in this first letter, the writer should establish her own identity and that of her correspondent, should set the scene, and should explain why she and her correspond...
s, word game
Word game

Word games and puzzles are generally engaged as a source of Entertainment, but they have been found to serve a very useful and progressive Education purpose as well....
s and mathematical game
Mathematical game

A mathematical game is a multiplayer game whose rules, strategies, and outcomes can be studied and explained by mathematics. Examples of such games are Tic-tac-toe and Dots and Boxes, to name a couple....
s which require solutions to puzzles as part of the gameplay. One of the most popular puzzle games is Tetris
Tetris

Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in June 1985, while working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow....
. In video games, jumping puzzle
Jumping puzzle

Jumping puzzles or "platform sequences" are sequences of obstacles in computer and video games, particularly in the genre of platform games, where the player character is required to use jumping to proceed, often in a manner that requires precise timing or landing in an exact manner....
s are common.

A chess problem
Chess problem

A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a Chess puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved....
 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
Maze

A maze is a complex tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth....
 is a type of tour puzzle
Tour puzzle

In tour puzzles the player of the puzzle makes a trip around a board game using a token which represents a traveller.Sometimes the player him/herself makes the trip....
. Other categories include construction puzzle
Construction puzzle

In a construction puzzle you have to build a technical contraption. This may be a static object or a mechanical object .In a wider sense a construction puzzle is any puzzle where you have to assemble a given set of pieces in a certain way....
s, stick puzzle
Stick puzzle

Stick puzzles use sets of 'polysticks' which have to be assembled into two- or three-dimensional configurations.Polysticks are configurations of joined or unjoined thin 'sticks'....
s, tiling puzzle
Tiling puzzle

Tiling puzzles are puzzles involving two-dimensional packing problems in which a number of flat shapes have to be assembled into a larger given shape without overlaps ....
s, transport puzzle
Transport puzzle

Transport puzzles are logistical puzzles, which often represent real-life transport problems....
s, disentanglement puzzle
Disentanglement puzzle

A disentanglement puzzle is a type of mechanical puzzle that involves disentangling one piece or set of pieces from another piece or set of pieces....
s, jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle

A jigsaw puzzle is a Tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellation pieces.Each piece has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture....
s, lock puzzle
Lock puzzle

A lock puzzle is a type of mechanical puzzle. It consists of a Lock with unusual or hidden mechanics. Such locks are sometimes called trick locks, because opening them is like performing a Magic ....
s, folding puzzle
Mechanical puzzle

A mechanical puzzle is a puzzle presented as a set of mechanically interlinked pieces....
s, combination puzzles
Combination puzzles

Combination puzzles, also called sequential move puzzles, consist of a set of pieces which can be manipulated into different combinations by a Group of Operator....
 and mechanical puzzle
Mechanical puzzle

A mechanical puzzle is a puzzle presented as a set of mechanically interlinked pieces....
s.

A meta-puzzle
Meta-puzzle

A metapuzzle is a puzzle that unites several puzzles that feed into it. For example, five puzzles that had the answers BLACK, HAMMER, FROST, KNIFE, and UNION would lead to the metapuzzle answer JACK, which combines with all of those words to make new words and phrases....
 is a puzzle which unites or incorporates elements of other puzzles. It is often found in puzzlehunt
Puzzlehunt

A puzzlehunt is a puzzle game where teams compete to solve a series of puzzles at a particular site, in multiple sites and/or via the internet....
s.

  • Logic puzzle
    Logic puzzle

    A logic puzzle is a puzzle deriving from the mathematics field of deduction....
    s using a chess board, such as Knight's Tour
    Knight's tour

    The Knight's Tour is a mathematical problem involving a Knight on a chessboard. The knight is placed on the empty board and, moving according to the rules of chess, must visit each square exactly once....
     and Eight queens.
  • Mathematical problems such as the missing square puzzle
    Missing square puzzle

    The missing square puzzle is an optical illusion used in mathematics classes to help students reason about geometrical figures. It depicts two arrangements of shapes, each of which apparently forms a 13?5 right-angled triangle, but one of which has a 1?1 hole in it....
    . Many of these are "impossible puzzle
    Impossible Puzzle

    The Impossible Puzzle, also named Sum and Product Puzzle is a puzzle called "impossible" because it seems to lack sufficient information for a solution....
    s", such as the Seven Bridges of Königsberg
    Seven Bridges of Königsberg

    The Seven Bridges of K?nigsberg is a famous historical problem in mathematics. Its 1736 negative resolution by Leonhard Euler laid the foundations of graph theory and presaged the idea of topology....
    , Water, gas, and electricity and Three cups problem
    Three cups problem

    The three cups problem is a mathematical puzzle. Starting with three cups place one upside down and two right side up. The objective is to eventually turn all cups right side up in six moves....
    . See List of impossible puzzles
    List of impossible puzzles

    This is a list of puzzles which have been proven impossible. An impossible puzzle is a puzzle that cannot be solved by following the directions or criteria for that puzzle....
    .
  • Picture puzzles, such as sliding puzzle
    Sliding puzzle

    A sliding puzzle, sliding block puzzle, or sliding tile puzzle challenges a player to slide usually flat pieces along certain routes to establish a certain end-configuration....
    s like the fifteen puzzle; jigsaw
    Jigsaw puzzle

    A jigsaw puzzle is a Tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellation pieces.Each piece has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture....
    s and variants such as Puzz-3D
    Puzz-3D

    Puzz-3D is the brand name of three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles, manufactured by Hasbro . Unlike traditional puzzles which are composed of series of flat pieces with parts of an image on them, when put together, create a single unified image, the Puzz-3D series of puzzles are composed on plastic foam, with the part of an image graphed o...
    .
  • Word puzzles, including anagram
    Anagram

    An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place....
    s, crossword
    Crossword

    A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of black and white squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers....
    s and cipher
    Cipher

    In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption and decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure....
    s.
  • Connect the dots
    Connect the dots

    Connect the dots, also known as dot to dot or join the dots is a kind of paper puzzle containing a sequence of numbered dots. The puzzle is completed by drawing lines between the dots in order of the numbers, starting with a line between the dot next to the number one and the number two, and continuing on until the last number is...
  • Nonograms (Gridders, Paint by numbers, Hanjie, etc.)
  • Peg solitaire
    Peg solitaire

    Peg solitaire is a board game for one player involving movement of pegs on a board with holes.Some sets use marbles in a board with indentations....
  • Rubik's Cube
    Rubik's Cube

    File:Rubik's cube.svgThe Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungary sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik....
  • Sangaku
    Sangaku

    Sangaku or San Gaku are Japanese geometrical puzzles in Euclidean geometry on wooden tablets created during the Edo period by members of all social classes....
  • Sokoban
    Sokoban

    is a transport puzzle in which the player pushes boxes around a maze, viewed from above, and tries to put them in designated locations. Only one box may be pushed at a time, and boxes cannot be pulled....
  • Soma cube
    Soma cube

    The Soma cube is a mechanical puzzle invented by Piet Hein during a lecture on quantum mechanics conducted by Werner Heisenberg. Seven pieces made out of unit cubes must be assembled into a 3x3x3 cube....
  • Spot the difference
    Spot the difference

    Spot the difference is a name given to a puzzle where two versions of an image are shown side by side, and the player has to find differences between them....
  • Tangram
    Tangram

    The tangram is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape using all seven pieces, which may not overlap....
  • Tower of Hanoi
    Tower of Hanoi

    The Tower of Hanoi or Towers of Hanoi is a mathematical game or puzzle. It consists of three rods, and a number of disks of different sizes which can slide onto any rod....
  • Logic puzzles published by Nikoli
    Nikoli

    Nikoli Co., Ltd. is a Japan publisher that specializes in game and, especially, logic puzzles. Nikoli is also the nickname of a quarterly magazine issued by the company....
    : Sudoku
    Sudoku

    is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9?9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3?3 boxes contains the digits from 1 to 9 only one time each....
    , Slitherlink, Kakuro, Fillomino
    Fillomino

    Fillomino is a type of logic puzzle published by Nikoli. Other published titles for the puzzle include Allied Occupation. As of 2005, three books consisting entirely of Fillomino puzzles have been published by Nikoli....
    , Hashiwokakero
    Hashiwokakero

    Hashiwokakero is a type of logic puzzle published by Nikoli. It has also been published in English under the name Bridges or Chopsticks....
    , Heyawake
    Heyawake

    Heyawake is a binary-determination logic puzzle published by Nikoli. As of 2005, five books consisting entirely of Heyawake puzzles have been published by Nikoli....
    , Hitori
    Hitori

    Hitori is a type of logic puzzle published by Nikoli....
    , Light Up
    Light Up

    Light Up , also called Akari, is a binary-determination logic puzzle published by Nikoli. As of 2006, two books consisting entirely of Light Up puzzles have been published by Nikoli....
    , Masyu
    Masyu

    Masyu is a type of logic puzzle designed and published by Nikoli. The purpose of its creation was to present a puzzle that uses no numbers or letters and yet retains depth and aesthetics....
    , Number Link
    Number Link

    Number Link is a logic puzzle published by Nikoli. , three books consisting entirely of Number Link puzzles have been published by Nikoli....
    , Nurikabe
    Nurikabe

    Nurikabe is a binary determination puzzle named for an invisible wall in Japanese folklore that blocks roads and delays foot travel. Nurikabe was apparently invented and named by Nikoli; other names for the puzzle include Cell Structure and Islands in the Stream....
    , Ripple Effect, Shikaku and Kuromasu; see List of Nikoli puzzle types
    List of Nikoli puzzle types

    This is a list of major puzzles published by Nikoli. Terms in parentheses are published English titles for the various puzzle types.*Bag ???*Connect the dots ???? ...


Etymology

The 1989 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language. Two fully-bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989; as of December 2008 the dictionary's current editors have completed a quarter of the third edition....
 dates the word puzzle (as a verb
Verb

In syntax, a verb is a word that usually denotes an action , an occurrence , or a state of being . Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its grammatical tense, grammatical aspect, grammatical mood and grammatical voice....
) to the end of the 16th century. That first documented use comes from a book called The Voyage of Robert Dudley
Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick

Robert Dudley was the possibly illegitimate son of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. He was a privateer, navigator, shipbuilder and the author of Dell'Arcano del Mare....
...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

  • Brain teaser
    Brain teaser

    A brain teaser is a form of puzzle that involves a lot of cogitating or mental/cognitive activity to solve. Normally, this includes thinking in conventional ways with given constraints in mind; sometimes, it also involves lateral thinking....
  • Dilemma
    Dilemma

    A dilemma is a problem offering at least two solutions or possibilities, of which none are practically acceptable; one in this position has been traditionally described as "being on the horns of a dilemma", neither horn being comfortable; or "being between a rock and a hard place", since both objects or metaphorical choices being rough....
  • Lateral thinking puzzle
  • List of impossible puzzles
    List of impossible puzzles

    This is a list of puzzles which have been proven impossible. An impossible puzzle is a puzzle that cannot be solved by following the directions or criteria for that puzzle....
  • List of puzzle-based computer and video games
    List of puzzle-based computer and video games

    This is a partial list of notable puzzle video games, sorted by general category....
  • List of puzzle topics
    List of puzzle topics

    This is a list of puzzle topics, by Wikipedia page.See also:* List of impossible puzzles* List of puzzle-based computer and video games* List of game topics....
  • Optical illusion
    Optical illusion

    An optical illusion is characterized by visual perception images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a percept that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source....
  • Paradox
    Paradox

    A paradox is a Proposition or group of statements that leads to a contradiction or a situation which defies intuition ; or, it can be an apparent contradiction that actually expresses a non-dual truth ....
  • Riddle
    Riddle

    A riddle is a statement or question having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and conundrums, which are questions relying for the...


External links

  • Presented by the Lilly Library of Indiana University.