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Scott Cram Inner circle 2678 Posts |
I've started a new puzzle blog, called Scott's Puzzles. Basically, the idea is to feature puzzles regularly that are related to current events.
The particular one I want to ask about here is the one featured in my Google Chrome post. I only know it as "FlipSwitch", from Eric Harshbarger's Java applet site. As seen in the Google Chrome entry, you see a 3 by 3 grid. Each cell features a portion of any 1 of 3 pictures. The object, naturally, is to get the entire 3 by 3 grid to display 1 complete picture. The 3 pictures are in a particular order (detailed in the entry), and clicking on any one of the individual cells will advance that square's picture to the next picture in the sequence (clicking on the last picture in the sequence results in a change to the first picture in the sequence). The challenging part is that clicking on an individual cell will advance not only its own picture, but the pictures of all the cells in the same rank and file (row and column)! Just because I post a puzzle, doesn't mean I know everything about it, however. Can anyone come up with a good approach to solving this puzzle? I'm interested in both particular approaches for a 3 by 3 grid with 3 pictures, and a generalized method (an X by Y grid, featuring Z pictures). Working backwards from a solved puzzle (conveniently available via the "Solve" button) seems to be the best way to learn about this. |
Nir Dahan Inner circle Munich, Germany 1390 Posts |
Scott,
I posted a comment on your blog regarding how I solved this. it is very similar approach to the rubik's cube. --> finding clicking patterns that only disturb a VERY SMALL amount of squares and leave the rest unchanged. then by combining these patterns you would solve the puzzle. I posted 2 patterns or sequences I found quite fast, one rolls two opposite corners, the other changes only the middle row. there are more sequences which make basically a recipe for a solution. how to generally generate such sequences is something I didn't work out yet. Nir |
Scott Cram Inner circle 2678 Posts |
Thanks for the starter sequences!
I didn't think of it like Rubik's Cube, but that is a great way to think of it. |
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