An Initial Attempt at a Mathematical Treatment of Translational Coordinate-Motion Puzzles
George I. Bell

Proceedings of Bridges 2024: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Culture
Pages 187–194
Regular Papers

Abstract

Coordinate-motion is a geometric concept found in mechanical puzzles. In order for a coordinate-motion puzzle to come apart or disassemble, three or more pieces must move simultaneously. In this initial investigation, we present many examples of coordinate-motion puzzles and attempt to categorize their movements. To simplify our model of a coordinate-motion object, we include only translations of pieces; we do not consider piece rotations.

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