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:
“Scholars and artists thrown together are often annoyed at the puzzle of where they differ. Both work from knowledge; but I suspect they differ most importantly in the way their knowledge is come by. Scholars get theirs with conscientious thoroughness along projected lines of logic; poets theirs cavalierly and as it happens in and out of books. They stick to nothing deliberately, but let what will stick to them like burrs where they walk in the fields.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)