Had a typo: Move 3 matches to ...

S

soroban

Elite Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2005
Messages
5,586

Sorry, everyone! . . . I had a typo . . .


Move three matches and form exactly five unit-squares.


. . . . \(\displaystyle \begin{array}{ccccccccc}& - && - && - && - \\ | && | && | && | && | \\ & - && - && - && - \\ &&| && | && | && |\\ &&& - && - && - \end{array}\)

 
Re: An oldie

There are 20 sticks - if 4 are taken away 16 are left, with which we need to make 4 squares (16 sides).

So these squares cannot share any side - just connected at the corners.

With that in view - the problem becomes simple.
 
soroban said:
Move three matches and form exactly five unit-squares.
Click to expand...


Good one, Soroban!

I spent the first eight minutes only able to remove three sticks to form five squares. (I found a few ways to do that.)

I spent the ninth minute brainstorming, and then a fruitful strategy came to me.

Thirty-seconds later, I found THIS SOLUTION.

Gobble, gobble,

~ Mark :)

 
Hello, Mark!

Nice going! . . . It's a elusive solution, isn't it?

I first saw this in junior-high when I thought I had mastered all the "match puzzles".
While most puzzles came from children's magazines (and I was a child at the time),
It was the first real Stumper I'd ever seen.

I gave up on it several times, convinced that there was no solution.
When I finally stumbled across the solution, the feeling of triumph was intoxicating.
I've sought that feeling ever since (and have experienced it a few more time).

 
soroban said:
... It's a elusive solution, isn't it? ...
Click to expand...


It was for me!

It took several minutes for me to realize that I needed to eliminate a square each time I moved a stick. When I saw that the boxes would need to be staggered, it got it.

~ Mark :)
 
Hello, Denis!

Yes, one of my all-time favorites . . .

Is that where the phrase "Thinking outside the box" came from?

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top