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Mike Reilly with Jenks Norwalk
The object of this puzzle is to weave the string from pin to pin, touching each pin only once, and then have the string reach and, without excess length, be able to place the last pin in its designated target hole.
Please read all these instructions before you begin and assemble all your materials like you would for a recipe (I love to cook!). Pay special attention to instruction number Seven!
If you are under twelve years of age, you will need the loving supervision of an adult.
Supplies
You will need the following materials:
About 24 push pins. (OK to use art pins, thumb tacks, carpet tacks, small nails, sewing pins, whatever. Be creative; that’s the "point" here.)
A small hunk of soft wood for the base, about the size of a CD jewel case. (OK to use foam core board, Styrofoam, thick cardboard, etc. Once you read all the directions you’ll have a good idea of what might work best. I’m a big believer in using what you have at hand.)
A length of string. (Kite string, twine, dental floss, etc. But not your mom’s necklace or your dad’s chalk line. You’ll need about a meter (about a yard) of stringy stuff. Not too stretchy. No rubber bands!)
A pencil and a piece of paper that is as large, or larger, than your base.
Be careful! You will probably need a band aid if you’re not careful with the pointy things.
Assembly Instructions
You can see some photos of this puzzle at http://reilly4puzzles.googlepages.com/weaver%27spuzzle. The photos show my original prototype and do not illustrate the assembly steps. They will give you an idea about how your version will appear.
1.) Stick a push pin securely into the base.
2.) Tie one end of the string to this pin. You can tie the string on first if that is easier for you.
3.) Stick another pin securely into the base some distance away from the first pin.
4.) Stretch your string to reach this second pin. Pull the string taut and then stretch the string to somewhere else on the base and put a pin securely at this location.
5.) Continue to trace a path with the string, putting in pins where you want the string to make another turn. Make sure that your string only touches each push pin once and once only!
6.) Once you have built a path among all the pins, tie your string to the last pin. Trim off the excess stringy stuff. This last pin is special. It will be the only pin that is removable! But DO NOT REMOVE IT YET! (And when you do, mark this hole, because this is the TARGET you need to reach to solve the puzzle.)
7.) Most Important: Make a drawing of your string’s path. This is absolutely essential! You have no idea how many puzzles I have built, disassembled and been unable to reassemble (meaning Solve!).
Solving the Puzzle
The object of this puzzle is to weave the string from pin to pin, touching each pin only once, and then have the string reach, and without excess length, be able to place the last pin in its designated target hole.
You do not have to use all your pins. In fact, the fewer pins, the easier the puzzle. Build several with different numbers of pins. Some will be too easy, some too hard, but some will be just right. This is my Goldilocks’ theory of puzzle complexity.
If you are happy with the path you have designed, you can replace the pins with small screws or nails. Pins tend to pull or fall out. If you have used foam core or cardboard, you might consider transferring your design to sturdier material such as soft pine. You will want a robust prototype to give family and friends. Prototypes often receive harsh and punishing treatment, especially in the hands of frustrated, would-be puzzle solvers.
Again, I’ve posted photos of my original "Weaver’s Puzzle" with DIY directions here: http://reilly4puzzles.googlepages.com/weaver%27spuzzle
Some Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle
Wikipedia is a good source for puzzle information.
http://reilly4puzzles.googlepages.com/home
my personal site with links to some of my games & puzzles.
http://www.mathsisfun.com
Rod Pierce's quality math site and lots of fun!
http://royaltypros.com/
Our agent, Howard Fleischer. Please mention that you read about him in The Citizen Scientist if you contact him.
http://www.counttonine.com/sudokuGame.htm
An excellent Sudoku site and friends of ours!
http://www.channelcraft.com/oops.htm
They manufacture ‘American Made' toys, games & puzzles, including my ‘Oops' and ‘Oops Again' puzzles in wood.
http://www.clickmazes.com/
A great collection of maze puzzles.
http://www.logicmazes.com/
Robert Abbott's outstanding collection!
http://www.johnrausch.com/PuzzleWorld/jerry_slocum.htm
World class collector of mechanical puzzles.
http://www.puzzles.com/
A commercial puzzle company.
Definitions & Citations
puz-zle - [puhz-uh l]
–noun
1.) a toy, problem, or other contrivance designed to amuse by presenting difficulties to be solved by ingenuity or patient effort.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 25 Sep. 2007. < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/puzzle >.
2.) Something, such as a game, toy, or problem, that requires ingenuity and often persistence in solving or assembling.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language , Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 25 Sep. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/puzzle >.
3.) puzzle (v.)
c.1595, pusle "bewilder, confound," possibly frequentative of pose (v.) in obsolete sense of "perplex" (cf. nuzzle from nose). The noun meaning "state of being puzzled" is recorded from 1607, from the verb; meaning "perplexing question" is from 1655; that of "a toy contrived to test one's ingenuity" is from 1814.
Online Etymology Dictionary . Douglas Harper, Historian. 25 Sep. 2007. < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/puzzle >.
Maze - - [meyz]
-noun
1.) a confusing network of intercommunicating paths or passages; labyrinth.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 25 Sep. 2007. < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/maze >.
2.) A graphic puzzle, the solution of which is an uninterrupted path through an intricate pattern of line segments from a starting point to a goal.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 25 Sep. 2007. < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/maze >.
3.) c. 1297, "delusion, bewilderment," possibly from O.E. *mæs, which is suggested by the compound amasod "amazed" (see amaze). Perhaps related to Norw. dial. mas "exhausting labor." Meaning "labyrinth" first recorded c.1385.
Online Etymology Dictionary . Douglas Harper, Historian. 25 Sep. 2007. < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/maze >.
Ouroboros (pronounced oo-ro-BOR-os)
Noun: a circular symbol of a snake or dragon devouring its tail, standing for infinity or wholeness; also written uroboros or Ouroboros
Etymology: 1940 < Greek 'tail devourer'.
Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English , Preview Edition (v 0.9.7). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 26 Sep. 2007. < http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ouroboros >.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros 
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