Bramswap

Description

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.

Watch the YouTube video.

Read at the iMaterialise Forum.

Read more at the Non-Twisty Puzzles Forum.

Please order a 3D-printed do-it-yourself puzzle kit from iMaterialise at this page (check with Oskar about screws and stickers), or contact Oskar directly if you are interested in obtaining a fully colored, stickered and assembled sample of this puzzle.