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The SOMA cube is a three-dimensional arrangement puzzle devised in 1936 by the Danish poet and puzzler Peter Hein (1905-1996) while he was a student listening to a lecture on quantum mechanics by Werner Heisenberg. The seven pieces represent all the ways three or four cubes can be arranged, other than in a straight line. In addition to forming a cube, the pieces can form in a wide array of other surfaces. According to Slocum and Bosterman, the name SOMA is taken from a drug envisioned in Aldous Huxley’s book Brave New World. The drug SOMA induced a dreamlike trance.
This example of the puzzle is made from light blue plastic. It closely resembles one sold by Parker Brothers from the late 1960s.
References:
Martin Gardner, The Colossal Book of Mathematics, New York and London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001, pp. 398-408. Gardner first wrote a column about the puzzle in 1958.
Martin Gardner, Knotted Doughnuts and Other Mathematical Entertainments, New York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1986, pp. 28-43.
[Advertisem*nt], The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., November 30,1969, p. 214. The puzzle by Parker Bothers sold for $1.57.
Jerry Slocum and Jack Botermans, Puzzles Old and New: How to Make and Solve Them, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1986, pp. 40-41.
Id Number: 2012.0091.04Accession Number: 2012.0091Catalog Number: 2012.0091.04
Object Name: puzzle
Physical Description: plastic (overall material)Measurements: overall: 8.6 cm x 8.6 cm x 8.6 cm; 3 3/8 in x 3 3/8 in x 3 3/8 inoverall: 8.6 cm x 8.6 cm x 8.6 cm; 3 3/8 in x 3 3/8 in x 3 3/8 in
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There are 240 distinct solutions of the Soma cube puzzle, excluding rotations and reflections: these are easily generated by a simple recursive backtracking search computer program similar to that used for the eight queens puzzle.
Making a Soma cube requires folding 27 Sonobe cubes, then combining them in groups of either three or four into seven pieces. The pieces are then assembled into a three-by-three-by three cube. There are 240 ways to put the pieces together to form a Soma cube — challenge yourself or a friend to find as many as you can.
There are exactly seven such shapes, called Soma Cubes; they are shown in Figure 20. No two shapes are alike, although the fifth and sixth are mirror images of each other. The fact that these seven pieces (comprising 27 “unit” cubes) can be reassembled to form one large cube is indeed remarkable.
The Soma cube is a solid dissection puzzle invented by Danish polymath Piet Hein in 1933 during a lecture on quantum mechanics conducted by Werner Heisenberg. Seven different pieces made out of unit cubes must be assembled into a 3×3×3 cube.
The Soma Cube is a puzzle consisting of seven pieces made from unit cubes. As wikipedia explains, these represent all possible combinations of three or four unit cubes, joined at their faces, so that at least one inside corner is formed. The object of the puzzle is to form a large solid cube from these seven pieces.
There are 240 distinct solutions of the Soma cube puzzle, excluding rotations and reflections: these are easily generated by a simple recursive backtracking search computer program similar to that used for the eight queens puzzle.
Any Rubik's Cube can be solved in 20 moves, but it took over 30 years for anyone to figure that out. The Rubik's Cube is an iconic puzzle toy. But it is mathematically complicated — there are 43 quintillion possible configurations of the Cube.
The Skewb is comprised of 8 tetrahedral corner-pieces and 6 square face-pieces. It rotates around its corners such that any move turns exactly half the puzzle. This results in over 3 million possible combinations (3,149,280 to be exact) - more than 3 times the Pyraminx's 922,120 possible combinations.
Address: 747 Lubowitz Run, Sidmouth, HI 90646-5543
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Hobby: Digital arts, Lacemaking, Air sports, Running, Scouting, Shooting, Puzzles
Introduction: My name is Delena Feil, I am a clean, splendid, calm, fancy, jolly, bright, faithful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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