matchstick puzzle

{{Short description|Puzzle involving the arrangement of matchsticks}}

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.

The puzzles may ask the solver to alter some mathematical equation,{{cite book |last1=Publishing |first1=Arcturus |title=The Pub Quiz & Puzzle Book |date=15 September 2011 |publisher=Arcturus Publishing |isbn=978-1-84858-413-6 |page=155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NRsEAwAAQBAJ |language=en}} often with numbers represented as Roman numerals, or Arabic numerals in a seven-segment display typeface. Other puzzles challenge the solver to rearrange a crude matchstick picture.{{cite book |last1=Grabarchuk |first1=Peter |title=Modern Classic Puzzles |date=2008 |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. |isbn=978-1-4027-4808-0 |page=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-pPVoODe4QkC |language=en}}

Some matchstick puzzles require lateral thinking, such as changing a number into a mathematical symbol.{{cite news |last1=Bellos |first1=Alex |title=Did you solve it? The Pi Day party starts here |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/12/did-you-solve-it-the-pi-day-party-starts-here |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=12 March 2018}}

Puzzles may also be set with no starting position, simply challenging the solver to create an arrangement using a number of matches. One example that requires lateral thinking is to form four equilateral triangles from six matches; this can only be done by arranging the matches in a three-dimensional pyramid shape.{{cite book |last1=Fulves |first1=Karl |title=Big Book of Magic Tricks |date=13 July 2012 |publisher=Courier Corporation |isbn=978-0-486-17077-0 |page=27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l2DCAgAAQBAJ |language=en}}

References

Category:Puzzles