On a generalization of ``eight blocks to madness puzzle

DOI10.1016/J.DISC.2015.12.014zbMATH Open1343.91013arXiv1408.3696OpenAlexW2213954224MaRDI QIDQ906490FDOQ906490

Authors: Kazuya Haraguchi 

Publication date: 21 January 2016

Published in: Discrete Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We consider a puzzle such that a set of colored cubes is given as an instance. Each cube has unit length on each edge and its surface is colored so that what we call the Surface Color Condition is satisfied. Given a palette of six colors, the condition requires that each face should have exactly one color and all faces should have different colors from each other. The puzzle asks to compose a 2x2x2 cube that satisfies the Surface Color Condition from eight suitable cubes in the instance. Note that cubes and solutions have 30 varieties respectively. In this paper, we give answers to three problems on the puzzle: (i) For every subset of the 30 solutions, is there an instance that has the subset exactly as its solution set? (ii) Create a maximum sized infeasible instance (i.e., one having no solution). (iii) Create a minimum sized universal instance (i.e., one having all 30 solutions). We solve the problems with the help of a computer search. We show that the answer to (i) is no. For (ii) and (iii), we show examples of the required instances, where their sizes are 23 and 12, respectively. The answer to (ii) solves one of the open problems that were raised in [E.Berkove et al., "An Analysis of the (Colored Cubes)^3 Puzzle," Discrete Mathematics, 308 (2008) pp. 1033-1045].

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1408.3696

Recommendations

• An analysis of the (colored cubes)\(^{3}\) puzzle
• The 4-color cubes puzzle
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1933247
• A solution for the coloured cubes problem
• Analysis of the picture cube puzzle

zbMATH Keywords

computer-assisted proofcombinatorial puzzleeight blocks to madnessMacMahon's colored cube puzzle

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Combinatorial games (91A46)

Cites Work

• Matching theory
• Every planar map is four colorable. I: Discharging
• Every planar map is four colorable. II: Reducibility
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Boosting search with variable elimination in constraint optimization and constraint satisfaction problems
• Games, puzzles, and computation
• There is no 16-clue sudoku: solving the sudoku minimum number of clues problem via hitting set enumeration
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Tetris is Hard, Even to Approximate
• Classic Nintendo games are (computationally) hard
• An analysis of the (colored cubes)\(^{3}\) puzzle
• Variations on instant insanity
• More Progress to Madness via "Eight Blocks"
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• "Eight Blocks to Madness"-A Logical Solution
• Hashiwokakero is NP-complete

Cited In (9)

• A solution for the coloured cubes problem
• Imaginary cubes and their puzzles
• The 4-color cubes puzzle
• Automorphisms of \(S_6\) and the color cubes puzzle
• The corner poset with an application to an \(n\)-dimensional hypercube stacking puzzle
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• All solutions of the Soma cube puzzle
• An analysis of the (colored cubes)\(^{3}\) puzzle

Uses Software

• CPLEX

This page was built for publication: On a generalization of ``eight blocks to madness puzzle

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q906490)