Combination puzzle
Puzzles solved by mechanical manipulation
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Through Puzzle, Group (mathematics) and Operation (mathematics)
Description
A combination puzzle is solved by achieving a particular combination starting from a random (scrambled) combination. Often, the solution is required to be some recognisable pattern such as "all like colours together" or "all numbers in order". The most famous of these puzzles is the original Rubik's Cube, a cubic puzzle in which each of the six faces can be independently rotated. Each of the six faces is a different colour, but each of the nine pieces on a face is identical in colour in the solved condition. In the unsolved condition, colours are distributed amongst the pieces of the cube. Puzzles like the Rubik's Cube which are manipulated by rotating a section of pieces are popularly called twisty puzzles. They are often face-turning, but commonly exist in corner-turning and edge-turning varieties.
The mechanical construction of the puzzle will usually define the rules by which the combination of pieces can be altered. This leads to some limitations on what combinations are possible. For instance, in the case of the Rubik's Cube, there are a large number of combinations that can be achieved by randomly placing the coloured stickers on the cube, but not all of these can be achieved by manipulating the cube rotations. Similarly, not all the combinations that are mechanically possible from a disassembled cube are possible by manipulation of the puzzle. Since neither unpeeling the stickers nor disassembling the cube is an allowed operation, the possible operations of rotating various faces limit what can be achieved.
Although a mechanical realization of the puzzle is usual, it is not actually necessary. It is only necessary that the rules for the operations are defined. The puzzle can be realized entirely in virtual space or as a set of mathematical statements. In fact, there are some puzzles that can only be truly realized in virtual space. An example is the 4-dimensional 3×3×3×3 tesseract puzzle, simulated by the MagicCube4D software. However one of the developers of the software -Melinda Green- created a 3D analogue of a 2x2x2x2 and can be ordered here: superliminal.com/physical2x2x2x2. 4D puzzles NOT for sale (made by Grant) include: 2x2x2x3, 2x2x3x3, 2x3x3x3, 3x3x3x3, 1x3x3x3 and many more.
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Types
There have been many different shapes of Rubik type puzzles constructed. As well as cubes, all of the regular polyhedra and many of the semi-regular and stellated polyhedra have been made.
Regular cuboids
A cuboid is a rectilinear polyhedron. That is, all its edges form right angles. Or in other words (in the majority of cases), a box shape. A regular cuboid, in the context of this article, is a cuboid puzzle where all the pieces are the same size in edge length. Pieces are often referred to as "cubies".
Pattern variations
There are many puzzles which are mechanically identical to the regular cuboids listed above but have variations in the pattern and colour of design. Some of these are custom made in very small numbers, sometimes for promotional events. The ones listed in the table below are included because the pattern in some way affects the difficulty of the solution or is notable in some other way.
Sudoku Cube
The Sudoku Cube or Sudokube is a variation on a Rubik's Cube in which the aim is to solve one or more Sudoku puzzles on the sides or rows. The toy was originally created in 2006 by Jay Horowitz in Sebring, Ohio. It was subsequently produced in China, marketed and sold internationally.
Production
The Sudoku Cube was invented by veteran toy maker Jay Horowitz, a puzzle inventor who primarily reproduced older toys for the collectibles market. Horowitz first encountered the original Sudoku puzzle when a woman sitting next to him on a plane ride explained it to him. After being introduced to the puzzle, Horowitz wanted to introduce the puzzle to the games business, and had the idea of combining it with the Rubik's cube. Horowitz already had access to molds for the Rubik's Cube, as he owned the Ideal Toy Company which owned molds. Horowitz worked for a month until he figured out how to combine the two puzzles together, and then when he figured it out, he "did not sleep for three days" while he worked out how to best arrange the numbers to create 18 unique Sudoku puzzles within the cube. Horowitz then patented the numerical design that he created. Mass production was completed in China by American Classic Toy Inc, a company belonging to Horowitz. The product was sold in the United States in retailers such as Barnes & Noble and FAO Schwarz and sold for $9.87 each. The price was chosen specifically because each number only appears once.
Marketing
Horowitz promoted his new product at toy fairs such as the 2007 American International Toy Fair and Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair. Adrienne Citrin, the spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association, mentioned that Sudoku fans who felt like they had mastered the original paper version of the puzzle were interested in the new product. The product was originally launched in the US and then sold internationally, exporting to Spain, France, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Shortly after release, there were several imitator products sold on Amazon under the name "Sudokube".
Irregular cuboids
An irregular cuboid, in the context of this article, is a cuboid puzzle where not all the pieces are the same size in edge length. This category of puzzle is often made by taking a larger regular cuboid puzzle and fusing together some of the pieces to make larger pieces. In the formulae for piece configuration, the configuration of the fused pieces is given in brackets. Thus, (as a simple regular cuboid example) a 2(2,2)x2(2,2)x2(2,2) is a 2×2×2 puzzle, but it was made by fusing a 4×4×4 puzzle. Puzzles which are constructed in this way are often called "bandaged" cubes. However, there are many irregular cuboids that have not (and often could not) be made by bandaging.