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The structure of stages in the toothpick sequence often resemble the T-square fractal, or the arrangement of cells in the Ulam–Warburton cellular automaton. [ 1 ] All of the bounded regions surrounded by toothpicks in the pattern, but not themselves crossed by toothpicks, must be squares or rectangles. [ 1 ]
English: The 89th stage of the toothpick sequence, one of the stages at which the ratio between the number of segments and the square of the stage number achieves a local minimum. Date 4 January 2013, 23:05:43
Several subtypes are included under this category, the names of which are sometimes used synonymously for the group: wire puzzles; nail puzzles; ring-and-string puzzles; et al. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Although the initial object is disentanglement, the reverse problem of reassembling the puzzle can be as hard as—or even harder than—disentanglement.
The first toothpick-manufacturing machine was developed in 1869, by Marc Signorello. Another was patented in 1872, by Silas Noble and J. P. Cooley. [7] Wooden toothpicks are cut from birch wood. Logs are first spiral cut into thin sheets, which are then cut, chopped, milled and bleached (to lighten) into the individual toothpicks. [8]
A puzzle box (also called a secret box or trick box) is a box that can be opened only by solving a puzzle. Some require only a simple move and others a series of discoveries. Modern puzzle boxes developed from furniture and jewelry boxes with secret compartments and hidden openings, known since the Renaissance.
A matchstick puzzle ("Move 1 matchstick to make the equation 6+4=4 valid") and its solution below. Matchstick puzzles are rearrangement puzzles in which a number of matchsticks are arranged into shapes or numbers, and the problem to solve is usually formulated as moving a fixed number of matchsticks to achieve some specific other arrangement.
In modern terminology, the Arkansas toothpick is a heavy dagger with a 12-to-20-inch (30 to 51 cm) pointed, straight blade. [1] The knife can be used for thrusting and slashing. James Black , known for improving the Bowie knife , [ 2 ] is credited with inventing the Arkansas toothpick.
Burr puzzles. A burr puzzle is an interlocking puzzle consisting of notched sticks, combined to make one three-dimensional, usually symmetrical unit. These puzzles are traditionally made of wood, but versions made of plastic or metal can also be found. Quality burr puzzles are usually precision-made for easy sliding and accurate fitting of the ...