15 puzzle facts for kids
The 15 puzzle (also called Gem Puzzle, Boss Puzzle, Game of Fifteen, Mystic Square and many others) is a sliding puzzle that consists of a frame of numbered square tiles in random order with one tile missing. The puzzle also exists in other sizes, particularly the smaller 8 puzzle. If the size is 3×3 tiles, the puzzle is called the 8 puzzle or 9 puzzle, and if 4×4 tiles, the puzzle is called the 15 puzzle or 16 puzzle named, respectively, for the number of tiles and the number of spaces. The goal of the puzzle is to place the tiles in order by making sliding moves that use the empty space.
The Minus Cube, manufactured in the USSR, is a 3D puzzle with similar operations to the 15 puzzle.
Images for kids
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A solved 15 puzzle
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U.S. Political cartoon about finding a Republican presidential candidate in 1880
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Sam Loyd's 1914 illustration of the unsolvable variation
See also
In Spanish: Juego del 15 para niños
