Introduction: Tangled Washer Puzzle

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Ask your friends to solve this puzzle for fun. If they solved it the then you must be a genius because your friends are.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

A. Materials in this project does not cause a thing. It is made from items you can find in hardware store or while walking down the street. They are the following; See picture

  • PVC sheet (3x50x75 mm) if it not available use old credit or ATM card
  • 2mm diameter string 230 mm long (I used the string from and old ear plugs)
  • 2mm diameter string 115 mm long
  • rubber washer with 10 mm hole (I used a washer from a tex screw. The one they used to fix roofing panels

B. Tools required are the following,

  • Multi tool (Plier, Knife)
  • Hack saw
  • Drill

Step 2: Procedure

  • Make 5 holes on the PVC sheet as shown on the picture. Since I don't have a drill, I used a knife. The diameter of the holes should be just a little bit bigger than the three diameter of strings. That is, three strings should pass though the hole with ease. The hole in the center is optional it is just a decoy.
  • Arrange string and washer as shown in figure 1.
  • Insert strings diagonally to the corresponding holes of the PVC sheet. See figure 2.
  • Flip the puzzle and joint the ends of the longer string with a knot. See figure 3.
  • Tie a not on each end of the shorter string to fix it to the puzzle. See figure 4.

Step 3: Solution

  • Pinch the string (the longer one) in the middle of the puzzle and pull it out to extend it.
  • Insert these loop to the hole where the shorter string is located. This is the reason why the hole should accommodate three strings
  • Once the loop of the longer string is out, pass the knot of the shorter string through the loop.
  • Pull the loop out again to release the tangled washer.