How Sliding Puzzles Work
- Begin by maneuvering the 1 and 2 into their proper positions in the upper left corner.
- Position the 3 in the upper right corner.
- Maneuver the 4 under the 3.
- Now slide the 3 to the left and the 4 up; the first row is done.
- Repeat this process with next row, leaving row above intact.
How do you solve the last row of a sliding puzzle?
Move the two last tiles into their positions. Move tiles around until the empty space is immediately to the left of the top-right corner. Now bring the next-to-last tile into this space. Now the top-right corner is open, and you can move the last tile into this corner. You’ve now solved the top row!
How do you switch two pieces in a sliding puzzle?
To move a piece to any position the easiest way is to:
- Put the blank square at the target position.
- Move your piece in the target direction by moving all the pieces one square forward.
- Put the blank square ahead of your piece again by revolving the pieces around your target piece.
How to solve a row of sliding puzzles?
Begin by maneuvering the 1 and 2 into their proper positions in the upper left corner. Position the 3 in the upper right corner. Now slide the 3 to the left and the 4 up; the first row is done.
What happens when you solve the first row of a sliding block?
That’s the general stragegy. Think about it: if you have a 5×5 puzzle, solving the first row and first column reduces the problem to a 4×4 puzzle. You will never have to touch that row and column again. You then keep doing that, solving smaller and smaller puzzles until you’re done.
How many times can you solve a slide puzzle?
If you start with the top row and the left column, you can solve slide puzzles of any size by breaking them into smaller and smaller grids. Keep solving the top row and leftmost column as many times as necessary until you have a 3×2 grid, with five tiles left to arrange.
What happens when you solve the first row of a 5×5 puzzle?
Think about it: if you have a 5×5 puzzle, solving the first row and first column reduces the problem to a 4×4 puzzle. You will never have to touch that row and column again. You then keep doing that, solving smaller and smaller puzzles until you’re done.
