In a previous post, I wrote about the well-known nine-dot puzzle which inspired the phrase ‘thinking outside the box’ and its variations.
A brain-teaser from the late 18th century, the puzzle has confounded and entertained people for more 100 years. The instructions are to draw four continuous unbroken lines through all nine dots. In other words, no lifting the pencil.
If it’s not obvious, the phrase outside the box gives a clue to solving the puzzle. You have to think – and draw – outside of the visual box made by the nine dots.
According to Maier’s research, many people can’t solve the puzzle because they limited their problem solving skills, thinking they could not draw outside of the visual box. Instead, to think outside the box means you need to erase assumptions, perceived limitations and self-restrictions to access your natural problem-solving abilities and creative thinking.
Here is the most common answer to the nine-dot puzzle (right, top).
There’s a less common, but equally appropriate, solution to the puzzle (right, middle)
Also, the clever people at Art of Play found yet another way to solve the puzzle. But, this requires turning the nine dots into a cylinder so that one line can revolve through all dots.
Ahh! The creative mind.
Think Outside the Triangle!
A variation of the nine dot puzzle is to draw a figure using six lines to make four triangles.
The trick is to look at the solution as three dimensional, as if it’s a pyramid with the fourth triangle as its base.
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