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[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Puzzle.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
*late [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_century16th Century] (as a verb): of [[unknown]] [[origin]].
==Definitions==
:''verb''
*1: [[cause]] (someone) to [[feel]] [[confused]] because they cannot [[understand]] or make sense of something : one remark he made puzzled me |( puzzling) that was the most puzzling aspect of the [[whole]] affair.
:[ intrans. ] [[think]] hard about something [[difficult]] to [[understand]] or explain : she was still puzzling over this [[problem]] when she reached the office.
: (puzzle something out) solve or understand something by [[thinking]] hard.
:''noun''
*1:a [[game]], toy, or [[problem]] [[designed]] to test ingenuity or [[knowledge]]. See [[riddle]] .
*2: [usu. in sing. ] a [[person]] or [[thing]] that is [[difficult]] to [[understand]] or [[explain]]; an [[enigma]] : the [[meaning]] of the [[poem]] has always been a puzzle.
==Description==
A '''puzzle''' is a [[problem]] or [[enigma]] that tests the [[ingenuity]] of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a [[logical]] way in order to come up with the desired solution. Puzzles are often contrived as a [[form]] of [[entertainment]], but they can also stem from serious [[mathematical]] or logistical problems — in such cases, their successful resolution can be a significant contribution to mathematical [[research]].
Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing [[patterns]] and creating a particular order. People with a high [[inductive]] [[reasoning]] [[aptitude]] may be better at solving these puzzles than others. Puzzles based on the [[process]] of [[inquiry]] and [[discovery]] to complete may be solved faster by those with good [[deduction]] skills.
==History==
The first [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_puzzle jigsaw puzzle] was created around 1760, when John Spilsbury, a British engraver and mapmaker, mounted a map on a sheet of wood that he then sawed around each [[individual]] country. Spilsbury used the product to aid in teaching [[geography]]. After catching on with the wider [[public]], this remained the primary use of jigsaw puzzles until about 1820.
By the early [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century 20th century], magazines and newspapers found that they could increase their daily subscriptions by publishing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle_contest puzzle contests].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle]
[[Category: General Reference]]
[[Category: Mathematics]]
==Origin==
*late [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_century16th Century] (as a verb): of [[unknown]] [[origin]].
==Definitions==
:''verb''
*1: [[cause]] (someone) to [[feel]] [[confused]] because they cannot [[understand]] or make sense of something : one remark he made puzzled me |( puzzling) that was the most puzzling aspect of the [[whole]] affair.
:[ intrans. ] [[think]] hard about something [[difficult]] to [[understand]] or explain : she was still puzzling over this [[problem]] when she reached the office.
: (puzzle something out) solve or understand something by [[thinking]] hard.
:''noun''
*1:a [[game]], toy, or [[problem]] [[designed]] to test ingenuity or [[knowledge]]. See [[riddle]] .
*2: [usu. in sing. ] a [[person]] or [[thing]] that is [[difficult]] to [[understand]] or [[explain]]; an [[enigma]] : the [[meaning]] of the [[poem]] has always been a puzzle.
==Description==
A '''puzzle''' is a [[problem]] or [[enigma]] that tests the [[ingenuity]] of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a [[logical]] way in order to come up with the desired solution. Puzzles are often contrived as a [[form]] of [[entertainment]], but they can also stem from serious [[mathematical]] or logistical problems — in such cases, their successful resolution can be a significant contribution to mathematical [[research]].
Solutions to puzzles may require recognizing [[patterns]] and creating a particular order. People with a high [[inductive]] [[reasoning]] [[aptitude]] may be better at solving these puzzles than others. Puzzles based on the [[process]] of [[inquiry]] and [[discovery]] to complete may be solved faster by those with good [[deduction]] skills.
==History==
The first [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_puzzle jigsaw puzzle] was created around 1760, when John Spilsbury, a British engraver and mapmaker, mounted a map on a sheet of wood that he then sawed around each [[individual]] country. Spilsbury used the product to aid in teaching [[geography]]. After catching on with the wider [[public]], this remained the primary use of jigsaw puzzles until about 1820.
By the early [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century 20th century], magazines and newspapers found that they could increase their daily subscriptions by publishing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle_contest puzzle contests].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle]
[[Category: General Reference]]
[[Category: Mathematics]]
