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Altekruse Puzzle
The Altekruse Puzzle is a type of burr puzzle invented by Austrian inventor William Altekruse. History The puzzle was first released in 1890 and has proved to be very popular ever since. Excerpts The Universal Book of Mathematics provides the following information about Altekruse puzzle: A symmetrical 12-piece burr puzzle for which a patent was granted to William Altekruse in 1890. The Altekruse family is of Austrian-German origin and, curiously, the name means "old cross" in German, which has led some authors to incorrectly assume that it was a pseudonym. William Altekruse came to the United States as a young man in 1844 with his three brothers to escape being drafted into the German army. The Altekruse puzzle has an unusual mechanical action in the first step of disassembly by which two halves move in opposition to each other, unlike the more familiar burr types that have a key piece or pieces. Depending on how it is assembled, this action can take place along one, two, or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burr Puzzle
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 pieces. In recent years the definition of "burr" is expanding, as puzzle designers use this name for puzzles not necessarily of stick-based pieces. History The term "burr" is first mentioned in a 1928 book by Edwin Wyatt, but the text implies that it was commonly used before. The term is attributed to the finished shape of many of these puzzles, resembling a seed burr. The origin of burr puzzles is unknown. The first known record appears in a 1698 engraving used as a title page of Chambers's Cyclopaedia. Later records can be found in German catalogs from the late 18th century and early 19th century. There are claims of the burr being a Chinese inventio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous city and state. A landlocked country, Austria is bordered by Germany to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The country occupies an area of and has a population of 9 million. Austria emerged from the remnants of the Eastern and Hungarian March at the end of the first millennium. Originally a margraviate of Bavaria, it developed into a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire in 1156 and was later made an archduchy in 1453. In the 16th century, Vienna began serving as the empire's administrative capital and Austria thus became the heartland of the Habsburg monarchy. After the dissolution of the H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Altekruse
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of England in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English include Will, Wills, Willy, Willie, Liam, Bill, and Billy. A common Irish form is Liam. Scottish diminutives include Wull, Willie or Wullie (as in Oor Wullie or the play ''Douglas''). Female forms are Willa, Willemina, Wilma and Wilhelmina. Etymology William is related to the German given name ''Wilhelm''. Both ultimately descend from Proto-Germanic ''*Wiljahelmaz'', with a direct cognate also in the Old Norse name ''Vilhjalmr'' and a West Germanic borrowing into Medieval Latin ''Willelmus''. The Proto-Germ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Universal Book Of Mathematics
''The Universal Book of Mathematics: From Abracadabra to Zeno's Paradoxes'' (2004) is a bestselling book by British author David Darling (astronomer), David Darling. Summary The book is presented in a dictionary format. The book is divided into headwords, which, as the title suggests, run from Abracadabra to Zeno's paradoxes. The book also provides relevant diagrams and illustrations. Errors The first edition of the book had several errors which were fixed in later editions. Several famous scientists have sent in corrections to the David Darling (astronomer), author of the book. These include Warren Johnson and Freeman Dyson. Reception The book has been praised by BoingBoing and British newspaper ''The Independent''. Problems and Puzzles mentioned in the book have been discussed and debated several times by several major mathematicians. See also * David Darling (astronomer) * Mathematics References External linksboingboing.com [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mechanical Puzzles
A mechanical puzzle is a puzzle presented as a set of mechanically interlinked pieces in which the solution is to manipulate the whole object or parts of it. While puzzles of this type have been in use by humanity as early as the 3rd century BC, one of the most well-known mechanical puzzles of modern day is the Rubik's Cube, invented by the Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik in 1974. The puzzles are typically designed for a single player, where the goal is for the player to see through the principle of the object, rather than accidentally coming up with the right solution through trial and error. With this in mind, they are often used as an intelligence test or in problem solving training. History The oldest known mechanical puzzle comes from Greece and appeared in the 3rd century BC. The game consists of a square divided into 14 parts, and the aim was to create different shapes from these pieces. This is not easy to do. (see Ostomachion loculus Archimedius) In Iran "puzzle-loc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
