Jump to content
BrainDen.com - Brain Teasers

Touch


rookie1ja
 Share

Recommended Posts

Touch - Back to the Matchstick Puzzles

Place six matches in such a way, that each match is in touch with all the other five matches. Notice that it is possible with 7 matches as well.

post-2-1175349438_thumbgif

This old topic is locked since it was answered many times. You can check solution in the Spoiler below.

Pls visit New Puzzles section to see always fresh brain teasers.

Touch - solution

post-2-1175349467_thumbgif

post-2-1175349548_thumbgif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • Replies 53
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • 2 weeks later...
Place them in spoke (bike) arrangement, possible with infinite sticks as well!

that would almost be right, except that all objects have width. a spoke arrangement would only work assuming no width (like pencil lines). try putting 5 pens in a spoke arrangement, there's no way all 5 can touch each other perfectly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Why not arrange them in a pyramid? I think that would do the trick and be much more elegant?

Sorry, a triangular pyramid would not work, because every match would have an opposing match not touching. These opposing matches would be skew: neither parallel nor intersecting (and thus not touching).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Looks like touch2solution.gif shows 7 matchsticks (pencils). Pretty impressive.

If you look closely at the Touch2Solution you will see that the "RED" and the "LIGHT BLUE" match are "NOT TOUCHING"! The Thickness or mass of the "DARK BLUE" match is seperating them from touching. It may Appear that they are in contact from an ariel view, however it is obvious that anything with mass is going to seperate 2 objects if it is between them.

Tell me what you think about my findings. I'm open for debate!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you look closely at the Touch2Solution you will see that the "RED" and the "LIGHT BLUE" match are "NOT TOUCHING"!

Well that's because that's a pic of pencils not matches.

But seriously, if they were wooden matches and not pencils and you replaced the red pencil with a match that had the head of it facing to the right, it could be placed so that the bulbous head of the match is in contact with the light blue pencil.

But I see what you're saying. The solution with six matches is much more elegant in that it doesn't have any matches (pencils) on an incline possibly not coming into contact with others. crescent_tr's solution suffers the same problem (and since he/she used what looks like six-sided markers [similar to yellow pencils], this could probably also be remedied by turning the orange tipped marker so that it's resting on one of its six high points). Six is the maximum number of wooden matches or pencils that can accomplish the goal of having them all touch one another without using inclines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

sharpen pencils and touch them in a point!

That won't work. The pic below just gives the illusion that this solution will work. Let's say you start this arrangement by putting the points of the black and yellow pencils together. In order to place the green and blue pencils together so that their points meet, the barrier made by the points of the black and yellow pencils must be broken. A configuration of this type can't work with more than three pencils.

post-916-1188688557_thumbjpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like touch2solution.gif shows 7 matchsticks (pencils). Pretty impressive.

If you look closely at the Touch2Solution you will see that the "RED" and the "LIGHT BLUE" match are "NOT TOUCHING"! The Thickness or mass of the "DARK BLUE" match is seperating them from touching. It may Appear that they are in contact from an ariel view, however it is obvious that anything with mass is going to seperate 2 objects if it is between them.

Tell me what you think about my findings. I'm open for debate!

Debate, as requested:

In touch2, Red lies horizontally across Purple, Blue and Light Blue, touching each of them.

The top surfaces of Purple, Light Blue and Blue are all at the same height, allowing Red to touch them all.

Red's end then touches Yellow.

Similar statements can be made for Yellow and Green.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

the red is not at an angle. it is parallel to whatever surface the pieces are lying on. it's resting on top of the pink, dark blue, and light blue. i wasn't sure if that was clear from what the guy above said ^

does this make me king?

=p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...