Editing Puzzle

{{short description|Problem or enigma that tests}}
{{for multi|the common jigsaw puzzle|Jigsaw puzzle|other uses|Puzzle (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Puzzle game|the video game genre|Puzzle video game}}
{{Puzzles|Types}}
A '''puzzle''' is a [[game]], [[Problem solving|problem]], or [[toy]] that tests a person's ingenuity or [[knowledge]]. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ([[Disentanglement puzzle|or take them apart]]) in a logical way, in order to find the solution of the puzzle. There are different genres of puzzles, such as [[Crosswords|crossword puzzles]], word-search puzzles, number puzzles, relational puzzles, and logic puzzles. The academic study of puzzles is called [[enigmatology]].

Puzzles are often created to be a form of entertainment but they can also arise from serious [[Mathematical problem|mathematical]] or [[logical]] problems. In such cases, their solution may be a significant contribution to mathematical research.<ref>Kendall G.; Parkes A.; and Spoerer K. (2008) ''A Survey of NP-Complete Puzzles'', International Computer Games Association Journal, 31(1), pp 13–34.</ref>

==Etymology==
The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' dates the word ''puzzle'' (as a [[verb]]) to the  16th century. Its earliest use documented in the ''OED'' was in a book titled ''The Voyage of [[Robert Dudley (explorer)|Robert Dudley]]...to the West Indies, 1594–95, narrated by Capt. Wyatt, by himself, and by Abram Kendall, master'' (published circa 1595). The word later came to be used as a [[noun]], first as an [[abstract noun]] meaning 'the state or condition of being puzzled', and later developing the meaning of 'a perplexing problem'. The ''OED''{{'}}s earliest clear citation in the sense of 'a toy that tests the player's ingenuity' is from Sir [[Walter Scott]]'s 1814 novel ''[[Waverley (novel)|Waverley]]'', referring to a toy known as a "reel in a bottle".<ref>"puzzle, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2019. Web. 21 January 2020.</ref>

The etymology of the verb ''puzzle'' is described by ''OED'' as "unknown"; unproven hypotheses regarding its origin include an Old English verb ''puslian'' meaning 'pick out', and a derivation of the verb ''pose''.<ref>"puzzle, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2019. Web. 21 January 2020.</ref>

==Categories==
[[File:Set of various puzzles.jpg|thumb|Various physical puzzles]]
[[File:Raetselkreuz.jpg|thumb|Simple wooden puzzle made of three pieces]]
Puzzles can be categorized as:

*[[Lateral thinking puzzle]]s, also called "situation puzzles"
*[[Mathematical puzzle]]s include the [[missing square puzzle]] and many impossible puzzles — puzzles which have no solution, such as the [[Seven Bridges of Königsberg]], the [[three cups problem]], and [[three utilities problem]] 
**[[Sangaku]] (Japanese temple tablets with geometry puzzles)
{{colbegin|colwidth=30em}}
*A [[chess problem]] is a puzzle that uses chess pieces on a chess board. Examples are the [[knight's tour]] and the [[eight queens puzzle]].
*[[Mechanical puzzle]]s or dexterity puzzles such as the [[Rubik's Cube]] and [[Soma cube]] can be stimulating toys for children or recreational activities for adults.
**[[combination puzzle]]s like [[Peg solitaire]]
**[[construction puzzle]]s such as [[stick puzzle]]s
**[[disentanglement puzzle]]s,
**[[Mechanical puzzle#Fold Puzzles|folding puzzle]]s
**[[jigsaw puzzle]]s. [[Puzz 3D]] is a three-dimensional variant of this type.
**[[lock puzzle]]s
**A [[puzzle box]] can be used to hide something — [[jewelry]], for instance.
**[[sliding puzzle]]s (also called sliding tile puzzles) such as the [[15 puzzle|15 Puzzle]] and [[Sokoban]]
**[[tiling puzzle]]s like [[Tangram]]
{{colend}}
*[[Metapuzzle]]s are puzzles which unite elements of other puzzles.
*[[Paper-and-pencil game|Paper-and-pencil]] puzzles such as ''[[Uncle Art's Funland]]'', [[connect the dots]], and [[nonogram]]s
**Also the [[logic puzzle]]s published by [[Nikoli (publisher)|Nikoli]]: [[Sudoku]], [[Slitherlink]], [[Kakuro]], [[Fillomino]], [[Hashiwokakero]], [[Heyawake]], [[Hitori]], [[Light Up (puzzle)|Light Up]], [[Masyu]], [[Number Link]], [[Nurikabe (puzzle)|Nurikabe]], [[Ripple Effect (puzzle)|Ripple Effect]], [[Shikaku]], and [[Kuromasu]]; [[takuzu]].
*[[Spot the difference]]
*[[Tour puzzle]]s like a [[maze]]
*[[Word game|Word puzzles]], including [[anagram]]s, [[cipher]]s, [[Crossword|crossword puzzles]], [[Hangman (game)]], [[dropquote]]s, and [[Word search|word search puzzles]]. Tabletop and digital word puzzles include [[Bananagrams]], [[Boggle]], [[Bonza (Word Game)|Bonza]], [[Dabble]], [[Letterpress (video game)]], [[Perquackey]], Puzzlage, [[Quiddler]], [[Ruzzle]], [[Scrabble]], [[Upwords]], [[WordSpot]], and [[Words with Friends]]. [[Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)]] is a game show centered on a word puzzle.
*[[Puzzle video games]]
**[[Tile-matching video game]]
**[[Puzzle-platformer]]
**[[Adventure game]]
**[[Hidden object game]]
**[[Minesweeper (video game)|Minesweeper]]

==Puzzle solving==
{{Original research section|date=November 2018}}
Solutions of puzzles often require the recognition of [[pattern]]s and the adherence to a particular kind of order. People with a high level of [[inductive reasoning aptitude]] may be better at solving such puzzles compared to others. But puzzles based upon [[inquiry]] and [[Discovery (observation)|discovery]] may be solved more easily by those with good [[Deductive reasoning|deduction skills]]. Deductive reasoning improves with practice. Mathematical puzzles often involve BODMAS. [[BODMAS]] is an acronym which stands for Bracket, Of, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. In certain regions, PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction) is the synonym of BODMAS. It explains the order of operations to solve an expression. Some mathematical puzzles require top to bottom convention to avoid the [[ambiguity]] in the order of operations. It is an elegantly simple idea that relies, as [[sudoku]] does, on the requirement that numbers appear only once starting from top to bottom as coming along.<ref name="Sudoka">{{cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=R |title=Sudoka Number Game |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/sudoka |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=21 June 2022}}</ref>

==Puzzle makers==

Puzzle makers are people who make puzzles.  In general terms of occupation, a ''puzzler'' or ''puzzlist'' is someone who composes and/or solves puzzles.

Some notable creators of puzzles are:

* [[Ernő Rubik]]
* [[Sam Loyd]]
* [[Henry Dudeney]]
* [[Boris Kordemsky]]
* [[Will Shortz]]
* [[Oskar van Deventer]]
* [[Lloyd King (puzzle designer)|Lloyd King]]
* [[Martin Gardner]]
* [[Raymond Smullyan]]

==History of puzzles==

The nine linked-rings puzzle, an advanced puzzle device that requires mathematical calculation to solve, was invented in China during the [[Warring States period]] (475-221 BCE).<ref name="GuoEymanSun">{{Cite book |last=Guo |first=Li |title=Games & Play in Chinese & Sinophone Cultures |last2=Eyman |first2=Douglas |last3=Sun |first3=Hongmei |date=2024 |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |isbn=9780295752402 |editor-last=Guo |editor-first=Li |location=Seattle, WA |pages=6 |chapter=Introduction |editor-last2=Eyman |editor-first2=Douglas |editor-last3=Sun |editor-first3=Hongmei}}</ref> [[Jigsaw puzzle|Jigsaw puzzles]] were invented around 1760, when [[John Spilsbury (cartographer)|John Spilsbury]], a British engraver and [[cartographer]], mounted a map on a sheet of wood, which he then sawed around the outline of each individual country on the map. He then used the resulting pieces as an aid for the teaching of geography.<ref>{{cite book|title=THE JIGSAW PUZZLE PIECING TOGETHER A HISTORY|author=Anne D. Williams|ASIN=B000H2ND6E}}</ref>

After becoming popular among the public, this kind of teaching aid remained the primary use of jigsaw puzzles until about 1820.<ref>[http://www.jigsaw-puzzle.org/jigsaw-puzzle-history.html History of Jigsaw Puzzles<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211155914/http://www.jigsaw-puzzle.org/jigsaw-puzzle-history.html |date=2014-02-11 }} The American Jigsaw Puzzle Society</ref>

The largest puzzle (40,320 pieces) is made by a German game company [[Ravensburger]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ravensburger.us/discover/40-320-pieces-disney-puzzle/index.html|title=The worlds biggest Puzzle {{!}} Ravensburger|website=www.ravensburger.us|language=en|access-date=2018-06-23}}</ref> The smallest puzzle ever made was created at LaserZentrum Hannover. It is only five square millimeters, the size of a sand grain.

The puzzles that were first documented are [[Riddle|riddles]]. In Europe, Greek mythology produced riddles like the [[riddle of the Sphinx]]. Many riddles were produced during the Middle Ages, as well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.puzzlemuseum.com/puzzles/history-of-puzzles/brief-history.html|title=A Brief History of Puzzles|date=6 April 2017|website=Puzzle Museum|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414194611/https://www.puzzlemuseum.com/puzzles/history-of-puzzles/brief-history.html|archive-date=14 April 2020}}</ref> 

By the early 20th century, magazines and newspapers found that they could increase their readership by publishing [[puzzle contest]]s, beginning with [[crosswords]] and in modern days [[sudoku]].

==Organizations and events==

There are organizations and events that cater to puzzle enthusiasts, such as:

* [[Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition]]
* [[World Puzzle Championship]]
* [[National Puzzlers' League]]
* [[National Puzzle Day]]
* [[Puzzlehunt]]s such as the [[Maze of Games]]
*[[World Cube Association]]

==See also==
* {{annotated link|List of impossible puzzles}}
* {{annotated link|List of Nikoli puzzle types}}
* {{annotated link|Riddle}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last1=van Delft |first1=Pieter |last2=Botermans |first2=Jack |url=https://archive.org/details/creativepuzzleso0000delf |title=Creative puzzles of the world |year=1978|publisher=Cassell |isbn=978-0-304-30300-7 }}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikibooks|Puzzles}}
{{Wiktionary|puzzle}}


{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Puzzles| ]]
[[Category:Puzzle books| ]]
[[Category:Puzzle video games| ]]
[[Category:Problem solving]]