Did you solve it? The simple T-puzzle that fools everyone (at first!) | Mathematics

Earlier in the day, I put you a classic 19th century puzzle

The T-Puzzle

Reorganize the four pieces to make a T. Parts cannot overlap and must adapt to the given model. The reversal parts are authorized.

Scroll below for the answer. (I did not want to put the solution high on the page, just in case you have not seen it before and you wanted to try it first on this interactive application.) You can move the parts with your thumb / mouse and rotate them by clicking or pressing the buttons. The third button is for Flips.

The T-Puzzle is simple, a primary school standard, and yet difficult for many. According to this research document, out of five undergraduate students given the puzzle, the fastest took 2 minutes 20, the second about 9 minutes and the other three more than 15 minutes (and required an index.)

The interactive application, created by the Phoebe Fletcher reader, has a timer and I was interested in seeing how you all mounted.

Statistics

Number that tried: 24 256

Number that resolved it: 9,650 (39.8%)

The fastest. 6s

Slowest time: 52m 46s

Median time: 1m 57s

Average time: 3m 6s

The 6 -second response was that I am sure by someone who had already seen the puzzle, although I was extremely impressed by their agile fingers. The 52 -minute response could be someone who fell asleep.

The median, just under two minutes away, is about the same as the fastest first cycle in the academic newspaper, which makes me think that the newspaper is more or less correct. Among those who can get it, it comes quickly enough – but for many people, it’s really quite difficult.

And now for the solution. The key computer is that the pentagonal part must be diagonal. People who do not solve it assume that it must be placed vertically or horizontal.