Howcast

How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube

Howcast — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:31:45 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Check out Rubiks.com Check out the official web site at rubiks.com for a list of 11 algorithms to help you move any square on the cube from one place to another.
Step 2: Form a cross Form a cross on the top or white face of the cube by lining up the six white squares through the center square in both directions.
TIP: The center squares of each side never move and will tell you what color that side needs to be.
Step 3: Finish the white face Finish the white face while focusing on the layer below it — twist the top layer to align the colors for each side.
Step 4: Solve the middle layer Solve the middle layer, which only has four edge pieces with two colors each, since the middle squares don’t move using any of the algorithms.
Step 5: Complete the last layer and bottom Complete the last layer and the yellow face on the bottom by starting with the corners that contain a yellow square and two other colors.
TIP: The last layer is the most difficult and will require several algorithms to position everything correctly and solve.
Step 6: Position corners Position the four corners before moving them into their solved locations by following the algorithms.
Step 7: Finish cube Finish the cube using the last algorithms and moving the edge pieces with a yellow side and one other color into the correct spot.
FACT: While the Rubik’s cube has 54 faces, it has only 20 pieces that need to be solved since many sides are linked together.

You Will Need

Internet access
Rubik’s cube
Good memory
Quiet room

How to Play KenKen

Howcast — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:45:57 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Examine the puzzle Examine the KenKen puzzle. The puzzle is composed of a grid of squares, with an equal number of columns to rows, and puzzles come in different sizes.
Step 2: Understand the rules Understand that the goal of KenKen is to fill the puzzle with digits so that no number repeats in any row or column. Digits are determined by the puzzle size, so a four by four-inch puzzle will use the digits one through four.
Step 3: Identify the cages Identify the cages, the heavily outlined boxes inside the puzzle.
Step 4: Start with single cages Fill in any cages that have only one square. The number in the upper corner is the only number that can go there.
Step 5: Fill in multiple cages Fill in the remaining cages by following the mathematical operation indicated in the top corner of the cage to produce the number indicated.
TIP: The order in which digits in a cage are subtracted or divided does not matter.
Step 6: Look for specific combinations Identify cages where only one combination of numbers will work, and fill that combination in.
TIP: Digits can be repeated in a cage as long as they do not repeat in a row or column.
Step 7: Experiment Experiment with different numbers in the squares you’re unsure of, using your eraser when needed.
FACT: A British editor at a New York newspaper published the first crossword puzzle in 1913.

You Will Need

KenKen Puzzle
Pencil
Eraser

How to Make a Crossword Puzzle

Howcast — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:16:08 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Join crossword constructor online forums for tips Join crossword constructor online forums or discussion lists for beginner tips from serious hobbyists and professionals.
Step 2: Choose a theme for your crossword puzzle Choose a central theme to hang your crossword puzzle words and clues on.
Step 3: Brainstorm crosswords and clues from theme Brainstorm words and clues from your puzzle’s theme and write them on paper.
Step 4: Visit a crossword puzzle-maker web site Using an online crossword puzzle maker, enter the width, height, and number of squares, and then enter the words and clues line by line. Click a button and a puzzle is generated.
TIP: Some hobbyists prefer to create a crossword puzzle the old-fashioned way – using graph paper and pen.
Step 5: Buy professional crossword-puzzle-maker software Buy crossword-puzzle-maker software for professionals or serious hobbyists. This software has a steeper learning curve than the typical online puzzle generator.
FACT: In 1913, the first published crossword puzzle was created by English journalist Arthur Wynne for the New York World newspaper.

You Will Need

Internet access
Paper
Pen
Software
Graph paper (optional)

How to Solve a Sudoku Game

Howcast — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:48:01 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Understand the pattern of a sudoku puzzle. Cells where an individual number goes are called squares; squares are then sectioned off in groups of nine to create boxes. A sudoku puzzle has a total of 81 squares, and nine boxes. They create a three-box-by-three-box grid.
TIP: Many sudoku puzzles have dark lines separating the nine three-square-by-three-square boxes for easy identification.
Step 2: To solve a sudoku puzzle, each row of nine squares must contain the numbers 1 through 9. Each column must also contain the numbers 1 through 9, and each box must contain the numbers 1 through 9. No row, column, or box may repeat any number.
Step 3: Start with an easy puzzle, and work your way up to successively more difficult puzzles. Many squares will already be filled in, no matter the puzzle level. Based on those filled in squares, using logic and the process of elimination, begin deducing which numbers fit in the empty squares.
TIP: Any puzzle that has one single solution will have at least 17 squares already filled in.
Step 4: Use cross-hatching, the process of figuring out where a number fits by eliminating possibilities based on numbers in the other squares in the same row, column, and box. For example, if the top-middle box contains no number 8, and the other boxes along the top row of the sudoku board contain 8s in the first and second rows, process of elimination dictates the 8 in the upper-middle box must be in the third row.
Step 5: Once you’ve solved one square by cross-hatching, use the technique to fill in as many squares in that single box as you can.
Step 6: Once you have exhausted one box, either by filling it in completely or running out of discoverable solutions, continue to the next box, then the next box, until you’ve gone through all nine boxes.
Step 7: Typically, by doing simple cross-hatching you will fill in several squares. Once you’ve gone through all the boxes, return to the box you started with and repeat the process, as it’s likely there are now more available solutions.
Step 8: After cross-hatching, try the counting method. Look at a single square, and count 1 through 9 through all possibilities, marking off ones that are immediately disqualified because it already appears either in the same box, the same column, or in the same row as the empty square.
Step 9: For most easy puzzles, these simple techniques should be sufficient to help you complete the puzzle. As you practice, you’ll be able to develop your own strategies and think ahead, which will help you progress on to more difficult puzzles.
FACT: Sudoku, despite its Japanese name, was invented in the U.S. in 1979 by a 74-year-old retired architect.

You Will Need

Sudoku puzzle
Pencil
Eraser

How to Solve Crossword Puzzles

Howcast — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:32:39 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Start with easy clues across Solve the easy clues first, starting with number one and moving ‘across.’
Step 2: Now move down Begin with number one in the ‘down’ category and answer all you can in the first pass.
Step 3: Connect intersecting words Progressing from the puzzle’s top left, fill in words that intersect with already completed answers.
TIP: Words that contain a lot of vowels are used frequently in crossword puzzles.
Step 4: Take breaks Take a break periodically. If you try too hard, the obvious can seem unintelligible. When you return to the puzzle, note how quickly some answers occur to you.
Step 5: Check for anagrams Check for anagrams in clues. Anagrams show up through descriptive terms or names that must be rearranged to divine the intended answer.
Step 6: Use the puzzle theme Use words associated with the title of the puzzle.
TIP: Work with a friend – sometimes two heads are better than one when solving a crossword puzzle.
Step 7: Fill in the rest Continue filling in answers, moving left to right and top to bottom.
Step 8: Practice and get better Practice crosswords to get better. The more puzzles you do, the more familiar you’ll be with standard puzzle clues and answers.
FACT: People who work on crossword puzzles more than four times a week may be less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease.

You Will Need

A crossword puzzle
A pencil