An edge-matching puzzle is a type of tiling puzzle involving tiling an area with (typically regular) polygons whose edges are distinguished with colours or patterns, in such a way that the edges of adjacent tiles match.
Edge-matching puzzles are known to be NP-complete, and capable of conversion to and from equivalent jigsaw puzzles and polyomino packing puzzle.
The first edge-matching puzzles were patented in the U.S. by E. L. Thurston in 1892.
Current examples of commercial edge-matching puzzles include the Eternity II puzzle, TetraVex, Dodek Duo, Kadon Enterprises' range of edge-matching puzzles, and the Edge Match Puzzles iPhone app.
Famous quotes containing the word puzzle:
“What are you now? If we could touch one another,
if these our separate entities could come to grips,
clenched like a Chinese puzzle . . . yesterday
I stood in a crowded street that was live with people,
and no one spoke a word, and the morning shone.
Everyone silent, moving. . . . Take my hand. Speak to me.”
—Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980)