Linking rectangles puzzle

Evan

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Jul 21, 2010, 1:20:57 PM7/21/10

to

(constant-width font will help here)

+-------------------+
| |
| |
| +-------------------+
| | | |
| +---------------|---+ |
| | | | | |
+---------|---------+ | |
| | | |
| | | |
| +-------------|-----+
| |
+-------------------+

Three similar rectangles can be completely linked
together such that removing any single rectangle
causes the remaining rectangles to become unlinked.

Now do the same thing with four similar rectangles.

-Evan

Carl G.

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Jul 25, 2010, 9:16:17 PM7/25/10

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"Evan" <evan_on...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:82e4d126-6a67-4a0b...@p22g2000pre.googlegroups.com...

Below is a diagram of four similar rectangles linked in a Brunnian link
(unless I goofed on the over-under parts while editing to get the rectangles
looking similar in the font that I was using).

-Carl G.

+--------+
| |
| +------|-+
| | | |
| | +--------+
| | | | | |
+---|------|---|--------+
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
+-|----------|-|--------+
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
+---|----+ | |
| | | |
+-|------+ |
| |
+--------+

Mike Terry

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Jul 25, 2010, 10:23:50 PM7/25/10

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"Carl G." <cgi...@socal.rr.com> wrote in message
news:i2inna$8pi$1...@news.eternal-september.org...

This doesn't seem to work - e.g. rectangles 1 & 4 (in order of appearance)
are linked as a pair.

Mike.

Carl G.

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Jul 26, 2010, 11:26:00 AM7/26/10

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"Mike Terry" <news.dead.p...@darjeeling.plus.com> wrote in message
news:yMmdnbuMhJwrbNHR...@brightview.co.uk...

>
> "Carl G." <cgi...@socal.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:i2inna$8pi$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>>
>> "Evan" <evan_on...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:82e4d126-6a67-4a0b...@p22g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
>> > (constant-width font will help here)
>> >
>> > +-------------------+
>> > | |
>> > | |
>> > | +-------------------+
>> > | | | |
>> > | +---------------|---+ |
>> > | | | | | |
>> > +---------|---------+ | |
>> > | | | |
>> > | | | |
>> > | +-------------|-----+
>> > | |
>> > +-------------------+
>> >
>> > Three similar rectangles can be completely linked
>> > together such that removing any single rectangle
>> > causes the remaining rectangles to become unlinked.
>> >
>> > Now do the same thing with four similar rectangles.
>> >
>> > -Evan
>>
>> Below is a diagram of four similar rectangles linked in a Brunnian link
>> (unless I goofed on the over-under parts while editing to get the
> rectangles looking similar in the font that I was using).
>>
>> -Carl G.
>

> This doesn't seem to work - e.g. rectangles 1 & 4 (in order of appearance)
> are linked as a pair.
>
> Mike.

I goofed up the fourth rectangle, possibly when I was trying to make the
rectrangles look "similar". I am not sure why there was a similarity
requirement, except to make the ASCII art harder. Below is another attempt,
but since this is a "quick fix", I may have missed something else.

Carl G.

+--------+
| |
| +------|-+
| | | |
| | +--------+
| | | | | |
+-|--------|---|--------+
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
+---|--------|-|--------+