Print-It-Yourself Puzzles

Currently Playing: Bramswap - What is the base of this exponential puzzle?

Print it yourself at https://oskarvandeventer.nl/Print-It-Yourself/. Buy at https://i.materialise.com/en/shop/item/bramswap Bramswap is a failed attempt to design a hyper-exponential puzzle. The mathematical concept was proposed by Bram Cohen and mechanically implemented by me. Bramswap has seven numbered tiles. The object is to get the tiles sorted from 1234567 to 7654321. The puzzle has two sliders, one "ascending" and one "descending". Two tiles can only be swapped when the tiles below them are in ascending order (for the even slots) or in descending order (for the odd slots). The sliders enforce the ordering with little triangular pins that slide down on the sides of the tiles. They block whenever the ordering is violated. A locking pin in the base assures that only one of the two sliders can be active at any time. It is conjectured that the puzzle is exponential with a base smaller than 2. However, further analysis is needed to confirm this. Copyright (c) 2025, M. Oskar van Deventer. Frequently Asked Question: http://oskarvandeventer.nl/FAQ.html Buy mass-produced Oskar puzzles at https://www.puzzlemaster.ca/browse/inventors/oskar/ (USA, CA) and https://www.sloyd.fi/brain-teasers/inventors-designers/oskar-van-deventer (EU) Buy exclusive 3D-printed Oskar puzzles at https://i.materialise.com/shop/designer/oskarpuzzle, https://www.chewiescustompuzzles.com/puzzleshop/oskars-puzzles