Sunday, May 15, 2011

Weights


Rules :
  1. Assign digits from 1 to n to each weight, where n is the number of weights.
  2. The horizontal rod indicates that there is equal torque on both sides.
  3. The torque of each weight is its weight times its distance from fulcrum.
  4. Assume that the strings and rods have negligible weight.
Example :


 Solution :


Water Fun

Rules :

  1. Fill water in some parts of the grid.
  2. The numbers below or next to the grid indicate how many squares of each row or column must be filled with water.
  3. Connected areas of filled cells must have same surface height everywhere – even if the surface is not connected, like in a U-shaped tube.
Example :

 Solution :




Magnets

Rules :

  1. The grid is made up of magnetic and non-magnetic plates.
  2. Each magnetic plate has 2 halves: one positive (+) and one negative (-).
  3. Halves with the same polarity cannot touch each other vertically or horizontally.
  4. The digits outside the grid indicate the number of magnetic halves with a particular polarity in each row/column.
Example :

 Solution :




Simple Loop Finder

Rules :

  1. Draw a single continuous loop that visits all dots.
  2. The loop has only horizontal and vertical line segments.
  3. Some line segments will be given.
Example :

Solution :



Puzzle No 13

Difficulty : Easy

Solution : 


Puzzle No 12

Difficulty : Medium


Solution :


Thermometer Sudoku


Same Basic Rules (as in classic sudoku):

Complete the Sudoku puzzle so that each and every row, column, and region contains the numbers 1 to 9 (for 9x9)
1 to 6 (for 6x6) so on..

Extra Rule :

The digits in each "thermometer"-shaped region must be strictly increasing from the circular bulb to the end.


Example :

File:Thermosudoku-puzzle.png

Solution :


File:Thermosudoku-solution.png

Thermometer

Rules : 
  1. The thermometers in the grid all have their own level of mercury, which always flows from rounded end towards the other end.
  2. Thermometers may be empty, partially or completely full.
  3. Numbers around the grid indicate the numbers of cells in the corresponding row / column that contain mercury.
Example :


Solution : 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Diagonal Sudoku


Same Basic Rules (as in classic sudoku):

Complete the Sudoku puzzle so that each and every row, column, and region contains the numbers 1 to 9 (for 9x9)
1 to 6 (for 6x6) so on..

Extra Rule :

Diagonals also contains numbers 1 to 9

Example :





Solution :


Puzzle No 11

Difficulty : Medium



Solution :


Puzzle No 10

Difficulty : Easy (Tricky)



Solution :


Tents

Facts :


This genre was invented by Léon Balmaekers and was first published in the Dutch puzzle magazine Breinbrekers in 1989, where it was named "Alle ballen verzamelen".


Rules : 


It is hot in the holidays, and the campground is full of guests. Eveybody wants a spot in the shade of one of the nice trees that are scattered over the ground, but no-one likes to be too close to his neighbours.

  1. Next to every tree there will have to be put a tent, either horizontally or vertically. 
  2. Tents do not touch eachother, not even diagonally.
  3. The numbers next to and below the diagram tell how many tents there are in that particular row or column.
Generally for this type of puzzle grid is of large size, but take a small one as an example (shown below).

Example :


Solution : 


Puzzle No 9

Difficulty : Medium




Solution :



2D Mastermind

Rules : 
  1. The solution grid contains all letters in the range given between parenthesis exactly once.
  2. Locate each letter using the information given by the black and white markers.
  3. Black marker indicate Correct letter in Correct position in corresponding row or column.
  4. White marker indicate Correct letter but in wrong position in corresponding row or column. 
Example :



Paint-By-Number

Paint-By-Number

Facts :

  • Paint-by-number puzzles are a type of graphical logic puzzle invented by Tetsuya Nishio and Non Ishida.
  • These puzzles are known by a huge variety of other names, including Griddler, Nonogram, Picross, Pixel Puzzles, Art Puzzles by Number, CrossPix, Descarte's Enigma, FigurePic, Illust-Logic, Oekaki Logic, PictureLogic, Logic Art, Paint Logic, Logic Square, Logik-Puzzles, Crucipixel, Logimage, StarPic, Blacken and Solve, Japanolle, Hanjie, and Tsunami.

Rules :


  1. Blacken some of the cells to find out the hidden figure.
  2. The numbers on the sides of the grid give the number of black cells in each black stretch in a certain row or column. 
  3. The black regions are separated by one or more empty cells.

Example :


Solution :


MineSweeper

MINESWEEPER

Rules :

Place the given number of mines into empty cells in the grid such that the numbers in the grid represent the
number of mines in the neighboring cells, including diagonal ones.

Example :



Solution :





Puzzle No 8

Difficulty : Medium


Solution :


Puzzle No 7

Difficulty : Easy



Solution :


Puzzle No 6


Difficulty : Easy

Solution : 


Puzzle No 4

Size : 5 x 5
Difficulty : Hard


SOLUTION : 


Puzzle No 3

Size : 5 x 5
Difficulty : Hard


SOLUTION :


Puzzle No 2

Size : 5 x 5
Diffficuilty : medium


SOLUTION :


Puzzle No 1


This is very easy puzzle (size : 5 x 5)  to start off with.
It will help you to build in some confidence.


SOLUTION :

Puzzle No 5

Size : 9 x 9
Difficuilty :  easy


SOLUTION :


Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Sudoku Solving Techniques

(click here for rules)


Technique 8 :
Guessing 

To find a cell with just a couple of candidates, and to pick one of the candidates. If you work through from that point, and it turns out to be solvable and a valid grid, then great, you guessed right!  If your guess was wrong, maybe it would show itself up within just a couple more moves, maybe it would take right until the very end before the last number was incompatible... Do you feel lucky? Some people will try just a few moves, before deleting them and trying another for speed.


TIPS 

  1. Try picking a value for a cell which looks like it will immediately force lots of other values. That way you can be sure that you'll get good reward for your effort if it does turn out to have a contradiction.
  2. Try picking three or four values and just working out a short chain from each. If you don't find one quickly, then move on and try another. There's often a very short chain nearby, and its worth a quick search to find it before you start the much longer and more meticulous searches.
  3. An overlay (tracing paper or a computer equivalent) really helps you to try out various chains without you making a complete mess of your original!.
Sometimes you'll see the contradiction (error) within just a couple of placements, sometimes you'll get nearly to the end.

There is great saying,
A positive isn't proof, but a negative is a disproof! "

(click here for rules)

Sudoku Solving Techniques

(click here for rules)


Technique 7 :  
SWORDFISH

Swordfish 

Swordfish is a more complicated version of X-Wing. In most cases, the technique might seem like much work for very little pay, but some puzzles can only be solved with it. So if you want to be a sudoku-solving master, read on! 


Sudoku Solving Technique  Example A


In example A, we've plotted in some candidate cells for the number 3. Now, assume that in column 2, 4, 6 and 8, the only cells that can contain the number 3 are the ones marked in red. You know that each column must contain a 3. 



Sudoku Solving Technique  Example B


I will give you the punch-line before the joke now; look at example B. We can eliminate 3 as candidate in every cell marked in blue. The reason for this is that if we consider the possible placements of the number 3 in the red cells, we get two alternatives: either you must put 3s in the green cells, or in the purple cells, as example C shows. In any case, each of the rows 2, 4, 6 and 8, must contain a 3 in one of the colored cells, so no other cell in those rows can contain a 3. 



Sudoku Solving Technique  Example C


How do you recognize a swordfish pattern? You look for cells with common candidate numbers that can be chained together like in example D. If you start on, say, the top-left red cell. Then you draw a line either vertically or horizontally until you reach another cell containing the same candidate number. Then you repeat this pattern until you return to the original cell. If you reach the original cell, you have a swordfish pattern!



Sudoku Solving Technique Example D

(click here for rules)