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Ball-in-a-maze Puzzle
Ball-in-a-maze puzzles are dexterity puzzles which involve manipulating either a maze (or labyrinth) or one or several balls so that the ball or balls are maneuvered towards a goal. Toys like this have been popular since '' Pigs in Clover''(also spelled ''Pigs-in-clover'') was invented by Charles Martin Crandall and then patented on September 10, 1889. The game was a craze in the United States from mid-February to May 1889, at 8 000 puzzles being produced daily according to ''The Waverly Free Press''. It was played at home, on buses, in the street, parks, and even by US politicians. Sam Loyd falsely claimed to have invented it in an interview in 1891. In some versions, a wooden labyrinth is tilted using two knobs and the ball has to be navigated past a series of holes and obstacles. A magnet is used in other versions where the balls have to be manipulated rather than the maze. Perplexus is an example of a 3D ball-in-a-maze. Another version, usually molded in transparent plastic, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Round Maze
Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number of significant figures it contains * Round number, a number that ends with one or more zeroes * Roundness (geology), the smoothness of clastic particles * Roundedness, rounding of lips when pronouncing vowels * Labialization, rounding of lips when pronouncing consonants Music * Round (music), a type of musical composition * ''Rounds'' (album), a 2003 album by Four Tet Places * The Round, a defunct theatre in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, England * Round Point, a point on the north coast of King George Island, South Shetland Islands * Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, a parkway system in Minneapolis * Rounds Mountain, a peak in the Taconic Mountains, United States * Round Mountain (other), several places * Round Valley (d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mechanical Puzzle
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-lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maze
A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lead unambiguously through a convoluted layout to a goal. The term "labyrinth" is generally synonymous with "maze", but can also connote specifically a unicursal pattern. The pathways and walls in a maze are typically fixed, but puzzles in which the walls and paths can change during the game are also categorised as mazes or tour puzzles. Construction Mazes have been built with walls and rooms, with hedges, turf, corn stalks, straw bales, books, paving stones of contrasting colors or designs, and brick, or in fields of crops such as corn or, indeed, maize. Maize mazes can be very large; they are usually only kept for one growing season, so they can be different every year, and are promoted as seasonal tourist attractions. Indoors, mirror ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the hero Theseus. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it. Although early Cretan coins occasionally exhibit branching (multicursal) patterns, the single-path (unicursal) seven-course "Classical" design without branching or dead ends became associated with the Labyrinth on coins as early as 430 BC, and similar non-branching patterns became widely used as visual representations of the Labyrinth – even though both logic and literary descriptions make it clear that the Minotaur was trapped in a complex branching maze. Even as the designs became more elaborate, visual depictions of the mythological Labyrinth from Roman times until the Renaissance are almost invariably unicursal. Branching ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Martin Crandall
Charles Martin Crandall (May 30, 1833 – Jun 25, 1905) was an American inventor and toy-maker. He was best known for various toy blocks, "Crandall's Acrobats", "Noah's Dominoes", "Illuminated Pictorial Alphabet", "District School", "Menagerie", "Pigs in Clover" game and numerous other games and wooden toys such as wooden trains with interconnecting cars. Crandall began working in his father's woodworking and furniture factory in Covington, Pennsylvania and at the age of twelve began inventing toys. When his father died in 1849, Crandall took over the factory at age sixteen. Crandall's blocks By 1866, Crandall moved the company to Montrose, Pennsylvania and was into the manufacturing of croquet sets. He experimented with fastening the corners of boxes by using grooves and tongues instead of nailing. As his sons were convalescing from scarlet fever, he took some pieces home and his children built various structures such as a house, bridge and fence from them. His children's physicia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Loyd
Samuel Loyd (January 30, 1841 – April 10, 1911), was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematics, recreational mathematician. Loyd was born in Philadelphia but raised in New York City. As a chess composer, he authored a number of chess problems, often with interesting themes. At his peak, Loyd was one of the best chess players in the US, and was ranked 15th in the world, according to chessmetrics.com. He played in the strong Paris 1867 chess tournament (won by Ignatz von Kolisch) with little success, placing near the bottom of the field. Following his death, his book ''Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles'' was published (1914) by his son. His son, named after his father, dropped the "Jr" from his name and started publishing reprints of his father's puzzles. Loyd (senior) was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in 1987. Reputation Loyd is widely acknowledged as one of America's great puzzle writers and popularizers, often mentioned as '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perplexus
Perplexus is a 3-D ball-in-a-maze puzzle or labyrinth game enclosed in a transparent plastic sphere. By twisting and turning the sphere, players attempt to maneuver a small steel ball through an intricate maze composed of a number of steps (varying in each puzzle) along narrow plastic tracks. The number of steps ranges from 30 in the Perplexus Twist to 225 in the Perplexus 3x3 Rubik's cube Hybrid. Some of the steps involve dropping the ball into a cup or through a small rim to take advantage of its three-dimensional nature. There are obstacles of varying difficulty that must be navigated in order to reach the end. Perplexus LLC is the manufacturer and a wholly owned subsidiary of Spin Master Ltd (since 2017). History Perplexus was co-invented by teacher and magician Michael McGinnis and toy inventors Brian Clemens and Dan Klitsner of San Francisco-based KID Group—known for the invention of the games Bop It, HyperDash, and other titles. McGinnis first sketched ideas for three ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piggy Bank
Piggy bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is the traditional name of a coin container normally used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used by companies for promotional purposes. The use of the name 'piggy bank' gave rise to its widely recognized 'pig' shape, and many financial service companies use piggy banks as logos for their savings products. Piggy banks are usually made of ceramic or porcelain. They are generally painted and serve as a pedagogical device to teach the rudiments of thrift and savings to children; money can be easily inserted. Many piggy banks have a rubber plug located on the underside; others are made of vinyl and have a removable nose for easy coin access. Some incorporate electronic systems which calculate the amount of money deposited. Some piggy banks do not have an opening besides the slot for inserting coins, whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puzzle Box
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. Puzzle boxes produced for entertainment first appeared in Victorian England in the 19th century and as tourist souvenirs in the Interlaken region in Switzerland and in the Hakone region of Japan at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Boxes with secret openings appeared as souvenirs at other tourist destinations during the early 20th century, including the Amalfi Coast, Madeira, and Sri Lanka, though these were mostly 'one-trick' traditions. Chinese cricket boxes represent another example of intricate boxes with secret openings. Interest in puzzle boxes subsided during and after the two World Wars. The art was revived in the 1980s by three pioneers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puzzle Video Game
Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, spatial recognition, and word completion. History Puzzle video games owe their origins to brain teasers and puzzles throughout human history. The mathematical strategy game Nim, and other traditional, thinking games, such as Hangman and Bulls and Cows (commercialized as ''Mastermind''), were popular targets for computer implementation. Universal Entertainment's ''Space Panic'', released for the arcades in 1980, is a precursor to later puzzle-platform games such as Apple Panic (1981), ''Lode Runner'' (1983), ''Door Door'' (1983), and ''Doki Doki Penguin Land'' (1985). ''Blockbuster'', by Alan Griesemer and Stephen Bradshaw (Atari 8-bit, 1981), is a computerized version of the Rubik's Cube puzzle. ''Snark Hunt'' (Atari 8-bit, 1982) is a single-player game of logical deduction, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Labyrinth (marble Game)
''Labyrinth'' is a game of physical skill consisting of a box with a maze on top with holes, and a steel marble. The object of the game is to try to tilt the playfield to guide the marble to the end of the maze, without letting it fall into any of the holes. Some versions of the game feature a suspended maze surface that rotates on two axles, each of which is controlled by a knob. Small handheld versions of the game are sold, with the box being completely closed with a transparent cover on top. The game was developed by BRIO in Sweden and first released there in 1946. It was introduced to the United States by BRIO around 1950. Similar games are offered in the US by a number of companies, due to it never being properly copyrighted there (according to one such company). See also *Ball-in-a-maze puzzle *''Neverball'' *''Super Monkey Ball'' *''Marble Madness'' *''Marble Blast Gold'' *''GooBall'' *Perplexus Perplexus is a 3-D ball-in-a-maze puzzle or labyrinth game enclosed in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rubik's 360
Rubik's 360 is a 3D mechanical puzzle released in 2009 by Ernő Rubik, the inventor of Rubik's Cube and other puzzles. Rubik's 360 was introduced on February 5, 2009 at the Nürnberg International Toy Fair ahead of its worldwide release in August. In contrast to most of Rubik's puzzles, Rubik's 360 is a physical challenge requiring manual dexterity, rather than learning of algorithms. The puzzle involves moving of six balls, each a different color, from a central sphere to six color-coded compartments in the outer sphere. This is done by maneuvering them through a middle sphere that only has two holes. There are three spheres that make up the puzzle. Like Rubik's Cube, Rubik's 360 has only one solution, but it cannot be solved by being broken apart. It is considered suitable for all ages and reviews described it as addictive and engaging. See also * Ball-in-a-maze puzzle * Perplexus * Rubik's Revenge References External linksRubik's official website [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
