Integirls Guide to Puzzle Solving

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Integirls Guide to Puzzle Solving The inteGIRLS Guide to Puzzle Solving Getting Started Strategies Puzzle Anatomy Reading the Puzzle While you're reading the flavor text of the body text of the puzzle, look out for Title Title - Weird words Flavor text: jaksdjfalkdsdf - Name of the puzzle - Awkward phrasing jdfjlkajdfklajdlfkjkfjs;aasdfa - Can be a clue - Things that seem out of place These are almost always part of the solution. Body Flavor text - Full of cryptic clues Look for patterns. Count items and try to - Read and review carefully match the number to other puzzle elements. Body Think about multiple approaches, including - Substance of the puzzle the obvious ones - With the internet, this is everything you need Use the internet to your advantage. If you get stuck on a puzzle, ask a teammate Finishing a Puzzle to look over the puzzle, or take a break. Direct Answer Methods Cryptic phrase Collaborate! - Index into words (look at Sometimes, puzzles Mechanics for more info) end with a phrase. - Change from a cipher to letters This can be... Solution - Look for missing letters, extra letters, or changed letters - A clue or riddle to Every puzzle answer is a Examples - Letters are images drawn in the the final answer word or phrase in English - Kermit the puzzle - Instructions on how Frog - Eliminate letters that are not part to use elements in the Every element of the - Zimbabwe of the puzzle or isolate indicated puzzle to find the final puzzle is involved in getting - Hydrogen letters answer the answer The inteGIRLS Guide to Puzzle Solving Some Mechanics Tools - Anagramming Wordplay Codes + Ciphers - Common Alphabets - Braille - Anagram Solver - Code Breakers - Morse code - RhymeZone - Ultimate list of ciphers, - Pigpen - Phrases with certain words, alphabets, math, and - Semaphore homophones, rhymes, and encodings - Construction more - dCode - Solutions involve making something - Nutrimatic - Cipher solver - Common Ciphers - fills in blanks - Crossword clues - Caesar cipher - Word Finder - Reverse Image Search - Substitution cipher - Cryptic crossword clues - Extra letters Resources More Puzzles - Groupings - MIT's Have You - Harvard CS50X Puzzle Hunt - Hidden words Tried? - This is the puzzle hunt - Indexing - This is a great inteGIRLS was inspired by! - A number next to as answer will source if you get - Shinteki correspond to a letter in that word stuck! - Mission Street Puzzles - Strawberry (4) -> A - Identifying - Stanford University Math - Order Common Puzzle Organization (SUMO) Puzzle - Rainbow, number, alphabetical elements Hunt - Other Puzzles - Mission Street - MIT Mystery Hunt - Sudokus, nonograms, and Nikoli Beginner's Guide - The Puzzle Boat - Rebus - Princeton Puzzle - Pictures that indicate words Tips - Pop Culture references - Word play - puns, similes, and common idioms.
Recommended publications
  • A Functional Taxonomy of Logic Puzzles
    A Functional Taxonomy of Logic Puzzles Lianne V. Hufkens Cameron Browne Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering Maastricht University Maastricht, The Netherlands flianne.hufkens, [email protected] Abstract—There currently exists no taxonomy for the full range of puzzles including “pen & paper” Japanese logic puzzles. We present a functional taxonomy for these puzzles in prepa- ration for implementing them in digital form. This taxonomy reveals similarities and differences between these puzzles and locates them within the context of single player games. Index Terms—games, puzzles, logic, taxonomy, classification I. INTRODUCTION This work is part of a project on digitally implementing the full range of pen & paper puzzles for computer analysis. In order to model these puzzles, it is useful to devise a taxonomy to highlight differences and similarities between Fig. 1: A Sudoku challenge (left) and solution (right). them to facilitate their implementation. We define a puzzle as a problem with defined steps for books, with further examples and information on Nikoli-style achieving one or more defined solutions, such that the chal- logic puzzles obtained from online sources including [2], [3], lenge contains all information needed to achieve its own [4], [5] and [6]. solution. Puzzles are distinct from games as they lack the Some simple schemes for logically grouping logic puzzles adversarial element: ”Puzzles are solved. Games are won.”1 already exist. For example, our final taxonomy was inspired by We focus on the group of puzzles commonly known as the classification found at [2], and Nikoli [3] uses the following Japanese logic puzzles [1], of which Sudoku (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Tatamibari Is NP-Complete
    Tatamibari is NP-complete The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Adler, Aviv et al. “Tatamibari is NP-complete.” 10th International Conference on Fun with Algorithms, May-June 2021, Favignana Island, Italy, Schloss Dagstuhl and Leibniz Center for Informatics, 2021. © 2021 The Author(s) As Published 10.4230/LIPIcs.FUN.2021.1 Publisher Schloss Dagstuhl, Leibniz Center for Informatics Version Final published version Citable link https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129836 Terms of Use Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 unported license Detailed Terms https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Tatamibari Is NP-Complete Aviv Adler Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA [email protected] Jeffrey Bosboom Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA [email protected] Erik D. Demaine Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA [email protected] Martin L. Demaine Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA [email protected] Quanquan C. Liu Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA [email protected] Jayson Lynch Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA [email protected] Abstract In the Nikoli pencil-and-paper game Tatamibari, a puzzle consists of an m × n grid of cells, where each cell possibly contains a clue among , , . The goal is to partition the grid into disjoint rectangles, where every rectangle contains exactly one clue, rectangles containing are square, rectangles containing are strictly longer horizontally than vertically, rectangles containing are strictly longer vertically than horizontally, and no four rectangles share a corner. We prove this puzzle NP-complete, establishing a Nikoli gap of 16 years.
    [Show full text]
  • {Download PDF} Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd: Volume 2
    MATHEMATICAL PUZZLES OF SAM LOYD: VOLUME 2 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Sam Loyd,Martin Gardner | 167 pages | 01 Jun 1959 | Dover Publications Inc. | 9780486204987 | English | New York, United States Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Martin Gardner Editor. Bizarre imagination, originality, trickiness, and whimsy characterize puzzles of Sam Loyd, America's greatest puzzler. Present selection from fabulously rare Cyclopedia includes the famous 14—15 puzzles, the Horse of a Different Color, and others in various areas of elementary math. Get A Copy. Paperback , pages. Published June 1st by Dover Publications first published More Details Original Title. Other Editions 6. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Mathematical Puzzles of Sam Loyd. Jan 19, Jennifer rated it it was ok. I'm not all that fond of this style of puzzle. Apr 09, Lindsey Lubker rated it it was amazing Shelves: math. This is a book that has lots of mathematical puzzles. It has easy and tricky parts throughout the book. Mar 07, Julia marked it as to-read.
    [Show full text]
  • By Prof. Mcgonagall Solution to STEPS TOLD: the Grid with The
    By Prof. McGonagall weeks belong to a set, such that their an- swers form this meta. Those answers are Solution to STEPS TOLD: reproduced below for your convenience. Thegridwiththewhiteandblackcircles Especially now, without a title or flavor- (ignoring the letters for now) is the Nikoli text to give outright hints, it is important logic puzzle ‘‘Masyu’’. Solving that puzzle to keep in mind Rule 9: Always be on the yieldsapaththroughthegrid. Takingeach lookout for themes and patterns. Para- letteralongthatpathspellstheinstruction graph breaks in a block of text, repeated ‘‘MAKE A CRYPTIC CLUE BY USING THE words or letters, apparent typos or non- REMAINING LETTERS IN ORDER’’. standard word selections -- these all can When read left to right, top to bottom, point to clues. Keep your eyes open, and the unused letters in the grid spell the investigate anything that looks unusual. phrase ‘‘SILLY SEATS RING RED PEERS’’. Enjoy your last day of class, and as This is read as a cryptic crossword clue: always, if you think you have the answer, the definition is ‘‘peers’’, and the wordplay submit it on our website below. tells you to mix up the letters of ‘‘seats’’ We’ll see some of you this Sunday at and place them around the letter ‘R’ (for the Berkeley Mystery Hunt! red). This results in the answer, STARES. The title is another wordplay clue to the METAPUZZLE same answer -- ‘‘told’’ indicates a homo- phone of ‘‘stairs’’, a synonym of ‘‘steps’’. DOTING Congratulations to Jevon Heath and REDUB Melinda Fricke, who first submitted the COLORED correct answer to this puzzle. ONES STARTING This now brings us to the metapuz- REDSTAR zle, a new puzzle consisting solely of the COSTARRED answers to all previous puzzles.
    [Show full text]
  • Happy Holidays from the Solechen Family
    Happy Holidays from the SoleChen Family 201<3 Reasons to be Happy! J Seattle sightseeing Jasper here! The big news is that Lady Grey found a home this summer. We A surprise trip for D N are all very happy for her! I am happy for the male human; his ignite-thing speech—while about music and not cats—was popular anyway. Also I am F JoCo Cruise trip E now an older cat who takes pills every day so I don’t limp. I’m happy the Oscar Party B humans figured that out before I bit Tye too much! M GC Summit A @DeeAnnSole Int’l Tabletop Day Pleasant Surprises R In January, Curtis surprised DeeAnn with a post-birthday trip; in July, A “100 Rejections” party DeeAnn began lying to Curtis—so dozens of people could create a secret, P Paradise Lost Star Trek-themed puzzle hunt just for him. “The Double Secret Game” and R Curtis’ 40th birthday party were a HUGE success. DeeAnn also helped M Portland Afoot Game with several other puzzle hunts, was point person for OryCon 35’s A WhiskeyFest NW Guests of Honor, attended the first two weddings she’s cried at, and Y DASH 5 PDX played lots and lots of great games. DeeAnn is now working part-time for Sauvie Island a new startup she believes could revolutionize mental healthcare. J D+Mom road trip U Open Source Bridge N @sparCKL WarTron Boston Words Do Not Fail @CurtisCChen J Readercon Imagine Curtis’ surprise when Janet “Query Shark” Reid called his query U JayWake letter for Waypoint Kangaroo “a Win on the First Try” and asked to see L Puzzled Pint turns 3 the full manuscript! (She provided excellent rewrite notes.) Curtis also Mt.
    [Show full text]
  • X-Treme Sudoku by Editors of Nikoli Publishing
    X-Treme Sudoku by Editors of Nikoli Publishing Ebook X-Treme Sudoku currently available for review only, if you need complete ebook X-Treme Sudoku please fill out registration form to access in our databases Download here >> Paperback:::: 405 pages+++Publisher:::: Workman Publishing Company (November 2, 2006)+++Language:::: English+++ISBN-10:::: 9780761146223+++ISBN-13:::: 978-0761146223+++ASIN:::: 0761146229+++Product Dimensions::::4 x 1 x 6 inches+++ ISBN10 ISBN13 Download here >> Description: The next step, like having a whole book of just Saturday Times crossword puzzles. Even more fiendish, even more fun, X-treme Sudoku proudly presents 320 puzzles rated Difficult to Very Difficult. These are the toughest, knottiest, most demanding Sudoku out there—prepare to have your brain cells crackle, your pencils melt, your mind obsessed with numbers and squares.No one is better than Nikoli at rounding up such a collection. A Japanese puzzle and game company that started the Sudoku craze over twenty years ago, Nikoli is known for creating the only handcrafted puzzles around. As Tim Preston, publishing director of Puzzler Media, Britains biggest seller of crossword and cryptogram puzzles, has said: It is a matter of great pride to get your puzzle into one of Nikolis magazines. Handmade puzzles are much better. It gives you the satisfaction that you are pitting your wits against an individual who has thought about what your next step would be and has tried to obscure the path.For X-treme Sudoku, the puzzle-makers at Nikoli went out of their way to obscure the path. There are puzzles with entire boxes empty.
    [Show full text]
  • Floral Emblems
    u ^ ^ % ^ . ,i ^ ^^^- vr K:. / ^ iC < s/je -t / -;:^ rfflLr-, C/^Cl/f^^af^ Si,. If. \" ^.'^. LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 808.8 P543f * Digitized by tine Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/floralemblemsOOphi * t « J 1 oral ZEmlDleins w i \': FLORAL EMBLEMS. BY HENRY PHILLIPS, F. L. & F. H, S. AUTHOR OF POMARIUM BRITANNICUM, ETC. ETC. LONDON: PRINTED FOR SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, BRITISH AND FOREIGN PUBLIC LIBRARY, CONDUIT STREET, HANOVER SQUARE. 1825. •m -^ * I ^ If A < f TO THE POETS AND PAINTERS OF ^trat Britain Whose Works have so eminently contributed to raise the fame of these kingdoms above the level of that of any- other nation in modern times, the author most respectfully presumes to dedicate this collection of " Floral Emblems," as an humble acknowledgment of the great delight their performances have afforded him from the earliest period of his memory, to the time he has the honour of subscribing himself, Their most devoted admirer. And humble Servant, HENRY PHILLIPS. Brighton, May 28, 1825. PREFACE. In forming this collection of Floral Emblems, the first care was to avoid perplexity, by creating new symbols, with such flowers as have been previously used in the hierogly- phics of the ancients or described in the verses of the poets. Therefore, when the compiler found the same plant made to represent more than one design, he selected the emblem of the greatest antiquity, or the one most established by custom, and in some instances he has noticed their various interpretations.
    [Show full text]
  • Metrics for Better Puzzles 1 Introduction
    Metrics for Better Puzzles Cameron Browne Computational Creativity Group Imperial College London [email protected] Abstract. While most chapters of this book deal with run-time telemetry observed from user data, we turn now to a different type of metric, namely design-time metrics for level generation. We describe Hour Maze, a new type of pure deduction puzzle, and outline methods for the automated generation and solution of lev- els. Solution involves a deductive search that estimates a level’s iterative and strategic depth. This information, together with sym- metry analysis of wall and hint distributions, provides useful met- rics with which levels may be classified and described. Results from a user survey indicate that players’ enjoyment of computer- designed levels may be affected by their perception of whether those levels are indeed computer-designed or handcrafted by hu- mans. We suggest ways in which puzzle metrics may be used to increase the perception of intelligence and personality behind level designs, to make them more interesting for players. Keywords. Logic puzzle; Hour Maze; Nikoli; deductive search; quality metrics; procedural content generation. 1 Introduction The current crop of smart phones and handheld game devices are the ideal plat- form for logic puzzles, which are enjoying a surge in popularity due to the main- stream success of titles such as Sudoku and Kakuro. Such puzzles can be played easily on small screens without losing any of their appeal, and can provide a deep, engaging playing experience while being conveniently short and self-contained. Fig. 1 shows a new logic puzzle called Hour Maze currently under develop- ment for iOS devices.
    [Show full text]
  • Conference Program Contents AAAI-14 Conference Committee
    Twenty-Eighth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-14) Twenty-Sixth Conference on Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAI-14) Fih Symposium on Educational Advances in Artificial Intelligence (EAAI-14) July 27 – 31, 2014 Québec Convention Centre Québec City, Québec, Canada Sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Cosponsored by the AI Journal, National Science Foundation, Microso Research, Google, Amazon, Disney Research, IBM Research, Nuance Communications, Inc., USC/Information Sciences Institute, Yahoo Labs!, and David E. Smith In cooperation with the Cognitive Science Society and ACM/SIGAI Conference Program Contents AAAI-14 Conference Committee AI Video Competition / 7 AAAI acknowledges and thanks the following individuals for their generous contributions of time and Awards / 3–4 energy to the successful creation and planning of the AAAI-14, IAAI-14, and EAAI-14 Conferences. Computer Poker Competition / 7 Committee Chair Conference at a Glance / 5 CRA-W / CDC Events / 4 Subbarao Kambhampati (Arizona State University, USA) Doctoral Consortium / 6 AAAI-14 Program Cochairs EAAI-14 Program / 6 Carla E. Brodley (Northeastern University, USA) Exhibition /24 Peter Stone (University of Texas at Austin, USA) Fun & Games Night / 4 IAAI Chair and Cochair General Information / 25 David Stracuzzi (Sandia National Laboratories, USA) IAAI-14 Program / 11–19 David Gunning (PARC, USA) Invited Presentations / 3, 8–9 EAAI-14 Symposium Chair and Cochair Posters / 4, 23 Registration / 9 Laura
    [Show full text]
  • Grade 7 & 8 Math Circles Logic Puzzles Introduction Strategies
    Faculty of Mathematics Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 Grade 7 & 8 Math Circles October 29/30, 2013 Logic Puzzles Introduction Mathematics isn't at all about memorizing formulas or doing procedures over and over. It's all about thinking logically, finding patterns and connections, and solving problems. A logic puzzle is a problem, challenge, or game that requires the player to use forms of critical thinking to arrive at a solution. Strategies Some tips to keep in mind when solving logic puzzles: • Read and reread the problem until you fully understand it and its goals. • Organize your information in a chart or diagram to focus only on relevant points. • Use logical reasoning to eliminate options. • Tackle simpler sub problems, but keep the big picture in mind. • List out all of the possibilities if you can, and use \guess and check". • Take it one step at a time. • Use a puzzle's rules and guidelines to double-check your work. • Be persistent. If you become stuck, remember that these problems are meant to be fun! The most important thing to remember when working on logic puzzles is that they are logical; every step has to make sense and be verifiable. 1 Sudoku The goal when filling out a sudoku is to enter a number from 1 to 9 in each box of the puzzle. Each row, column, and outlined 3 × 3 region must contain each number only once. Example I 2D-Sudoku Fill every row, columns, and shaded diagonal with the numbers from 1 to 5. Example II 2 Minesweeper Draw a mine in some cells of the grid.
    [Show full text]
  • BEAM 6 2017 Book of Problems
    55 Exchange Pl Ste. 603, New York, NY 10005 (888) 264-2793 [email protected] www.beammath.org BEAM 6 2017 Book of Problems Are you excited about continuing to do the math you learned in your BEAM classes? Here are a collection of problems specially selected by your instructors this summer. Congratulations KenKen + Math students! Together we’ve explored Kenken Puzzles and dipped our toes into several other kinds of logical puzzles. Now beam is ending, but you leave with every bit of growth you’ve done here. Every time you’ve been frustrated and kept going, every time you faced a problem that was too hard and made progress anyway, you’ve built your skills and that you take with you. This book is a parting gift… It includes some puzzles you’ve seen before and some new ones. Each type of puzzle listed here can be found online, and often there are books of them in stores. Part 1- Our class together 1.1 Strategies we’ve used 1.2 KenKen Puzzles 1.3 Other Puzzles--Alphametics and Einstein riddles Part 2-Nikoli Puzzles 2.1 Nonograms 2.2 Slitherlink 2.3 Shikaku 2.4 Kakuro Part 3- Other similar puzzle opportunities. 3.1 Room Puzzles 3.2 And Beyond!!! Part 1-- Our Class Together 1.1 Our Strategies What have we learned this summer? Much of what we’ve learned is hard to put into words, but here are some of my favorite highlights Be Contrary, Be Skeptical One big thing we learned is to question our own logic.
    [Show full text]
  • Including ACG8, ACG9, Games in AI Research, ACG10 T/M P. 18) Version: 20 June 2007
    REFERENCE DATABASE 1 Updated till Vol. 29. No. 2 (including ACG8, ACG9, Games in AI Research, ACG10 t/m p. 18) Version: 20 June 2007 AAAI (1988). Proceedings of the AAAI Spring Symposium: Computer Game Playing. AAAI Press. Abramson, B. (1990). Expected-outcome: a general model of static evaluation. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Vol. 12, No.2, pp. 182-193. ACF (1990), American Checkers Federation. http://www.acfcheckers.com/. Adelson-Velskiy, G.M., Arlazarov, V.L., Bitman, A.R., Zhivotovsky, A.A., and Uskov, A.V. (1970). Programming a Computer to Play Chess. Russian Mathematical Surveys, Vol. 25, pp. 221-262. Adelson-Velskiy, M., Arlazarov, V.L., and Donskoy, M.V. (1975). Some Methods of Controlling the Tree Search in Chess Programs. Artificial Ingelligence, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 361-371. ISSN 0004-3702. Adelson-Velskiy, G.M., Arlazarov, V. and Donskoy, M. (1977). On the Structure of an Important Class of Exhaustive Problems and Methods of Search Reduction for them. Advances in Computer Chess 1 (ed. M.R.B. Clarke), pp. 1-6. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. ISBN 0-85224-292-1. Adelson-Velskiy, G.M., Arlazarov, V.L. and Donskoy, M.V. (1988). Algorithms for Games. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY. ISBN 3-540-96629-3. Adleman, L. (1994). Molecular Computation of Solutions to Combinatorial Problems. Science, Vol. 266. p. 1021. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington. ISSN 0036-8075. Ahlswede, R. and Wegener, I. (1979). Suchprobleme. Teubner-Verlag, Stuttgart. Aichholzer, O., Aurenhammer, F., and Werner, T. (2002). Algorithmic Fun: Abalone. Technical report, Institut for Theoretical Computer Science, Graz University of Technology.
    [Show full text]