Can You Solve the Box Thing Puzzle?

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SUMMARY

The Box Thing Puzzle, a well-known line puzzle, requires drawing a continuous line through all box lines without retracing any segment. It has been discussed for over 250 years, with no solutions existing on a plane or sphere, but solvable on other surfaces like a torus. Participants in the forum debate the rules and potential solutions, emphasizing the importance of not crossing intersections. The discussion also includes technical advice on submitting images of solutions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of topological surfaces, specifically toroidal geometry.
  • Familiarity with basic puzzle-solving strategies.
  • Knowledge of graphical formats for image submission (BMP, GIF, JPEG).
  • Awareness of the rules governing line puzzles, particularly intersection rules.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the properties of toroidal surfaces in topology.
  • Explore other line puzzles with similar constraints and solutions.
  • Learn about the history and variations of the Box Thing Puzzle.
  • Investigate graphical software for creating and submitting puzzle solutions.
USEFUL FOR

Puzzle enthusiasts, mathematicians, and educators interested in topology and problem-solving techniques will benefit from this discussion.

n0n
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I don't know where I learned this originally, but I have never been able to solve it. (And I don't remeber what its called)

http://n0n.madtracker.net/boxthing.GIF

All you got to do is draw one continuous line threw all the box lines once, I did an example so that you get what I mean. Can you solve it?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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See this thread.
 
aah, see its been discussed before. this puzzle has been around for while, I sappose. Does anyone know if there're other line puzzles that have the same outcome?

this isn't breaking any of the rules, but it's they only way to solve if any solution is possable http://n0n.madtracker.net/box.GIF
 
Last edited by a moderator:
n0n said:
aah, see its been discussed before. this puzzle has been around for while, I sappose. Does anyone know if there're other line puzzles that have the same outcome?

this isn't breaking any of the rules, but it's they only way to solve if any solution is possable http://n0n.madtracker.net/box.GIF

This puzzle's been solved about 250 years ago.

And the solution you posted does break a rule : " no going through intersections"

There is no solution on the plane or sphere...but solutions do exist for other surfaces. The torus is one example.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Done it. It was easy. I can't post the pic though, it won't let me. Someone tell me how to and i will show you how its done.
 
Noticibly F.A.T said:
Done it. It was easy. I can't post the pic though, it won't let me. Someone tell me how to and i will show you how its done.

Are you sure you're not going through a corner ? Or drawing the box on a torus ? It can been proven that this is impossible, so you must be making a mistake, or not following the rules.

To submit a picture, you can make a bmp, gif or jpeg picture (of size < 64x64 pixels), and use the manage attachments option to attach it.
 
Dang, i missed a side. And i was so proud too! :(
 

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