Comments on: Fun paper puzzle

By: BrianTheB

BrianTheB — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:26:00 +0000

Facepalming the scientific and math skills of the average American. This is not sad, this is pathetic.

By: Chuck Brown

Chuck Brown — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:55:00 +0000

Well, I’m only a PARTIAL idiot, and even after looking at the answer, I’m still not getting it.

Someone with a brain should make a nice, well-lit video and post it on YouTube. Revenue-sharing millions…here you come! LOL.

By: nateniph

nateniph — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:47:00 +0000

I found an alternate solution (or a different problem)…When I saw the picture I thought the center flap was doubled (folded at the apex). You can still do it, but it takes more cutting and thinking.

By: D. Keith Higgs

D. Keith Higgs — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Attatch a paper clip to the center leg and you have a paper helicopter

By: Stephen Douglas

Stephen Douglas — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:43:00 +0000

Took me a few seconds, then a few more seconds thinking I was missing something because it hadn’t taken me long. Then a few more seconds to actually try it.

By: John Neumann

John Neumann — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:51:00 +0000

I ran offset presses for 15 years and during the long, mind-numbing runs found an outlet in decorative paper crafting (and airplane folding but that’s a different story). I would make these and show them off to customers or vendors walking through the shop floor and ask if they had ever seen our line of 3-sided paper. The effect was best when it was carefully mounted onto a piece of cardboard.

Ahh, the simple times were sometimes the best.

By: Kimmo

Kimmo — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:43:00 +0000

+1 seems basic and straightforward, figured it out in a second.

Spent ten wondering if I was missing something…

Guess it could be a handy test to determine spatial skills

By: Multinörd

Multinörd — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:07:00 +0000

I figured it out and made one as soon as I saw it. Yet as soon as it was finished it I was weirded out by it even more… Even though I figure it out my brain still don’t “get it” and it still seems unnatural, out of this world.

By: Joseph Francis

Joseph Francis — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:46:00 +0000

Could be a good business card

By: Donald Petersen

Donald Petersen — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:48:00 +0000

I didn’t get the ah-ha! moment. I’m occasionally surprised when people have trouble visualizing things like this, but then I’m also amazed at people who can sing on-key, juggle four or more items, skate without falling down, or freehand draw anything more complicated than stick figures. I can’t do any of those.

But I guess I’m your guy when you need freestanding place cards!

By: Mike Baker

Mike Baker — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:13:00 +0000

This^… I saw it, made it, in a few seconds. But I agree with the first commenter – it would be cooler with paper that had a different color on each side.

By: SamSam

SamSam — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:49:00 +0000

It did take me about 30 seconds, but the ah-ha! moment was definitely worth it.

By: scionofgrace

scionofgrace — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:17:00 +0000

Wouldn’t have got it half so fast, except I’ve been making origami Christmas ornaments lately.

By: awjt

awjt — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:14:00 +0000

@XZZY One cut? How??? I am trying and trying and can’t get it.

By: Chip

Chip — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:03:00 +0000

It took me about four seconds to figure it out, then another five to realize it’s because I’ve seen it somewhere before. It took reading the comments to remember that it was Mr. Wizard! That show taught me a lot, even when I don’t remember it was the show that did it.

By: ChurchTucker

ChurchTucker — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:03:00 +0000

So, it’s that the folds are in different directions that throws people?

By: Shiznit

Shiznit — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:49:00 +0000

Hitler FTW !

By: robdobbs

robdobbs — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:47:00 +0000

thought so too until I tried to make it and had to figure it out. Took about 4 minuted with a postit note pad.

By: robdobbs

robdobbs — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:46:00 +0000

I feel dead chuff I figured it out without looking at the answer – or having a model in front of me. See it once it’s done makes it easier.

By: relawson

relawson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:33:00 +0000

Loved Mr. Wizard’s world!

He also taught me how to cut a hole in a piece of typing paper big enough for me to step through!

http://stevecjohnson.net/Documents/MagicWorkshop.pdf

By: swankgd

swankgd — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:08:00 +0000

It’s a spatial relations thing. For some people, it’s not particularly obvious that the paper has been “twisted” to get into this configuration. So the fact that that vertical flap can’t be bent down to be on the same plane as the entire sheet of paper, if you’re unable to visualize how to it got there, would make it puzzling.

By: kartwaffles

kartwaffles — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:51:00 +0000

How is this a puzzle?

By: joedwards

joedwards — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:40:00 +0000

haha. well it should be noted that there are two ways you can rotate the paper 180 degrees, (as in clockwise and counter clockwise), and only one of them works. and dummies like me take a long time to catch onto that.

By: MB44

MB44 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:25:00 +0000

Ahhh, the Chinese industry method…

By: ChurchTucker

ChurchTucker — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:20:00 +0000

Interesting. I saw it right away, but I thought it was too easy and I was missing something. I wonder why this stumps people?

By: Glenn Curry

Glenn Curry — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:13:00 +0000

MR Wizard had this on his show in the 80′s

By: Llama

Llama — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:51:00 +0000

I saw that on Mr. Wizard’s World when I was a kid.

By: xzzy

xzzy — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:51:00 +0000

A better accomplishment would be doing it with a single cut.

By: Glen Able

Glen Able — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:50:00 +0000

First you print out the picture of the object onto the rectangular sheet of paper.

Then find someone who’s clever, hand them the paper and say “Make me one of these or I’ll stab you with these scissors.”

By: John Ridley

John Ridley — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Our science fiction club used that design back in the 80s to print table fliers announcing the Douglas Hofstadter talk that we had coming up.

We called them 4-dimensional cross coupled heat sinks.