Great Math Software on Puzzles
What you will find here are computer versions of mathematical puzzles such as Rubic's cube, peg solitaire, tangram, 15-tile-puzzle … etc. Puzzles whoes solution solely rely on logical analysis. If you like mathematical puzzles, you may find this book interesting Puzzles Old and New: How to make and solve themBy Jerry Slocum and Jack Boterman. Buy at amazon The book includes photographs of many many puzzles. It gives you a panorama of all types of physical puzzles.
Magic Polyhedrons
For physical toys, see: Magic Polyhedrons.
Puzzler
(screenshot)
is a Windows program by Noel Dilabough. Puzzler plays all types of magic polyhedrons. Puzzler plays some 20 non-trivial variations of magic polyhedrons, including the five platonic solids with different cuts. The program is great, unique, but the interface is very bad. Extremely frustrating to use. Puzzler is a shareware.
http://www.mud.ca/puzzler/puzzler.html
(2003-07, 2006-09)
Win
MagicCube4D by Don Hatch and Melinda Green. It plays 4-dimensional Magic Cube. It also maintains record of the world's first solvers and a solution database. The source code is also available. http://www.superliminal.com/cube/cube.htm. () Win Linux Java
4DRubikCube by Ishihama Yoshiaki is a 2x2x2x2 magic cube simulator. http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/%7Ehq8y-ishm/hyper.html Mac Win Java
Polyominoes
Combine 2 squares together, you get a rectangle. That shape is called domino. Combine 3 or more squares together, the various shapes are called Polyomino. Combine several equilateral triangls, or regular hexagons, or any polygons, the generalized name for them is polyform.
★
Polyominoes is a polyominoes fitting game. Written by Kevin L Gong. In this program, you try to fit a set of polyominoes (connected squares) into a given shape. In another mode, two players take turns fitting polyominoes into a give shape. The first without a fitting piece losses. It's almost impossible to beat the computer. Mac, Windows and Java.
http://kevingong.com/Polyominoes/index.html
OSX
Mac
Java
Win
Pentominos Puzzle Solver A pentominos solver, by David Eck. http://godel.hws.edu/java/pent1.html Java
Some excellent intro to polyominoes:
- Hexaflexagons and Other Mathematical Diversions Buy at amazon, Chapter 13. By Martin Gardner.
- Time Travel and other Mathematical Bewilderments Buy at amazon, Chapter 14. (1988) By Martin Gardner.
- Polyominoes : Puzzles, Patterns, Problems and Packings Buy at amazon by Solomon W Golomb. (2nd ed., 1996)
For detailed info about tangram, see: Tangram
★ Tangram (4.1, 1999/07. v. 3.2 screenshot) Tangram is a popular tiling puzzle that's probably originated from China. The goal is to arrange a set of seven tiles to match a given shape. This software's interface is beautiful and well-designed. Author is S. T. Han (sth@kagi.com). Available for both Mac and Windows. URL:
http://members.aol.com/sth777/defaul.html
Mac
Win
A arresting introduction to tangrams can be found in Time Travel and other Mathematical Bewilderments , by Martin Gardner. Buy at amazon It includes a short bibliography.
Peg Solitaire and Discrete Systems
Peg solitaire is a puzzle where there are a number of pieces on the grid, and you are allowed to jump a piece and remove piece jumped over. The goal is to leave just one piece on board.
★ Poly-Peg 1.09 (screenshot) by S T Han. This puzzle is sometimes known as peg solitaire. You remove pieces on a board by “jumping” other pieces over it. The goal is to leave only one piece on the board. PolyPeg lets you edit your own shape of square or hexagonal board and set whether diagonal jump are allowed in square board. It also include a auto solve feature. Latest versions for Mac and Windows can be found in S.T.Han's web site at
http://members.aol.com/sth777/defaul.html
.Mac
Win
Pegged is a small mac program that plays Peg Solitare. It offers the traditional cross shaped board, but with 7 arrangement of end games. Written by Cary Torkelson in 1991, but still works great under Mac OS X Classic 2003. Local download: pegged.sit.hqx Here's a small anonymous program that plays peg solitare. It has a board different from pegged. pegSolitaire.sit.hqx Mac
For a complete mathematical analysis of Peg-Solitare, see The Ins and Outs of Peg solitaire By J D Beasley. Buy at amazon
★ Poly-Off 1.09 (screenshot) is another excellent shareware by S. T. Han. The game Poly-Off can be thought of as one type of cellular automata. In a square or hexagonal grid, you switch on or off a cell that will affect neighbor cells. The goal is to switch off all cells. I had lots of fun with this program. For Mac OS and Windows. URL: http://members.aol.com/sth777/defaul.html
Mac
Win
★ Poly-Dol v.1.01 (screenshot) by S. T. Han. The puzzle in this program is similar to a commercial program named Cogito. You shift pieces on a board until all the pieces are in certain order. You can only shift pieces in certain row, column, or array of the board. There are dozen boards to choose for play and you can make your own board shapes. I find this program to be much fun. For Mac and Windows. URL: http://members.aol.com/sth777/defaul.html
Mac
Win
★ Poly-Tile v.1.04 (screenshot) by S. T. Han. This puzzel is similar to a commercial program named Tesserae, published by In-Line designs Inc.
In this puzzle, Tiles of different design are layed over a board. You remove them one at a time by jumping (flipping) adjacent tiles of the same design. The goal is to leave only one tile on the board. I find this game too difficult. It's also hard to analyze because the random initial placement and designs. Like Poly-Peg and Poly-Dol, you can customize your board when you got bored with the given configurations. For Mac and Windows. URL: http://members.aol.com/sth777/defaul.html
Mac
Win
Backtracking Puzzles
2005-10: Sokoban (倉庫番=warehouse keeper) is a classic game invented by Hiroyuki Imabayashi in 1982. It is a puzzle where the player pushes boxes around a maze to designated locations. For more info, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokoban
Here's a Sokoban game in JavaScript: http://michbuze.club.fr/Boxworld/sokojs.htm
Sokoban (倉庫番=warehouse keeper) is a classic game invented by Hiroyuki Imabayashi in 1982. It is a puzzle where the player pushes boxes around a maze to designated locations.
★ MYHOUSE is a clever and fun logic puzzle, by M Aono. It is a variation of the classic Sokoban. Your goal is to move a bunch of shrimps home. The shrimps move in sync. When one bump into wall, it doesn't move but the rest moves. The red blocks are fire and if one shrimps runs into it you die. Your goal is to align all shrimps in such way to move them home. http://www.i-dac.com/game/myhouse/myhouse.html (2003-09,2009-02) Flash
Klotski is a classic sliding block puzzle. Your goal is to slide the red block all the way to the right side center. Yes, it can be done. This puzzle is dicussed in Scientific American, March 1995 (Volume 272 Number 3 Pages 108-110), Mathematical Recreations by Ian Steward. A beautiful wooden set of this puzzle has been marketed by various companies. This screenshot shows a Mac program but i forgot its name or who wrote it.
Loyd's Lunacy is another block-sliding logic puzzle. The goal is to slide the large square from upper right corner to upper left. Author is Chip Moody. Written in 1990 but still works great under Mac OS X Classic in 2003. This program has a very funny “About” dialogue. loydsLunacy.sit.hqx Mac
Dirty Dozen is a block-sliding logic puzzle. Writen by Nick Triantos in 1993 but still works under Mac OS X Classic in 2003.dirtyDozen.sit.hqx Mac
Logic Puzzles
★ MineSweeper3D by Robert Webb. It is similar to the puzzle Minesweeper that comes with Windows, but MineSweeper3D lets you play it on 3D solids. Very well done. Get it here: http://www.software3d.com/Mines3D/ (2003-09,2006-09-01) Win