Burr puzzle

A burr puzzle in unsolved form

The same puzzle, solved

Steps to disassemble a burr puzzle

Burr puzzles are interlocking puzzles known in Europe and Asia since at least the 18th century. Traditionally they are made from wood, but some modern versions use plastic (for reasons of economy) while those of collector's quality may be made from brass. The wooden burr puzzles are usually precision-made for tight fit and require special wood so that the pieces do not change shape too much in changing temperature and humidity.

The burr puzzle gets its name from the most traditional shape for the finished puzzle, a symmetrical arrangement of intersecting cuboids thought to resemble a seed burr, but similar puzzles can have other forms: a ball, a human figure, a ship, a bird or a star-like shape.

The mathematical properties of burr puzzles have been studied by Bill Cutler.

See also

• Disentanglement puzzle

References

• Wyatt, E. M. (1928). Puzzles in Wood. Milwaukee, Wisc: Bruce Publishing Co. ISBN 0-918036-09-7. 

External links

• "The burr puzzles site". research.ibm.com. http://www.research.ibm.com/BurrPuzzles/. Retrieved 2005-07-05. 
• "The Puzzling World of Polyhedral Dissections". Stewart T. Coffin. http://www.johnrausch.com/PuzzlingWorld/contents.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-08.