"Fifteen" is a simple and at the same time very popular puzzle, invented at the end of the 19th century. The game is a square box with a set of knuckles with numbers from 1 to 15. The player's task is to sequentially move the elements on the plane to achieve an ordered arrangement of knuckles with numbers, while making the smallest number of permutations.
Instructions
Step 1
Familiarize yourself with the puzzle device. Knuckles with numbers printed on them can move along the plane of the box. The box has sixteen places to place the puzzle pieces. In this case, one place always remains free and is used to move the knuckles. You are required to arrange the elements so that the numbers are in order from one to fifteen, counting from left to right and from top to bottom.
Step 2
Bring the puzzle to its initial "working" state by mixing the tiles by sequentially rearranging them in a random sequence. Do not try to remember which elements and where you rearrange, otherwise the assembly will not give you real pleasure. As a result, the numbers should be mixed so that the order of their arrangement is very much out of order.
Step 3
Start by putting together the first (top) row of numbers. To do this, first free the upper left corner of the field by shifting all the elements down. Now find the element with the number "1" and move it to the indicated free field. This is done by sequentially displacing the elements adjacent to the knuckle you need.
Step 4
Now, moving the knuckles in the same way, sequentially replace the numbers 2, 3 and 4. Do not worry about how the numbers in the lower rows are lined up, you will deal with them later.
Step 5
After collecting the top row, move on to the next. Set in the second row numbers from 5 to 8. At the same time, try not to move the elements of the top row, installed in the desired sequence. As a rule, the alignment of the first two rows is straightforward, since you do not need to worry about the relative position of the knuckles in the lower levels yet.
Step 6
Start laying out the third row. By combining the elements with each other, make sure that the row consists of numbers from 9 to 12. Here it is already necessary to take into account also the sequence in which the remaining three elements of the bottom row will appear. You may have to go through several placement options before the puzzle fits properly. Ideally, after the correct placement of the elements of the third row, the numbers 13, 14 and 15 will also automatically appear in their places.
Step 7
After gaining experience with the game, try experimenting. Challenge yourself to reverse the order (from 15 to 1). Practice solving puzzles on time or with a partner. This will give the activity a competitive character and will give special pleasure in case of winning. To carry out such competitions, you will need two sets of "tags", and in order for both players to be in equal conditions, set the same initial combination.
