Avatars

[chaos_defrost]

2 of my favorite mathcsticks puzzles. One's a but known, the other is, I think, original. Don't know. Someone else may have done one of the 2nd one's before.

1: You have 4 matches arranged in the shape of a + sign. What is the fewest number of matches you need to move to make this into a square? No breaking/bending of the matches is allowed.

2: You have several matches arranged on a table like this:



What is the fewest number of matches you need to move to make this into a correct equation? That is, an equality? No breaking/bending of matches is allowed.

HINT: If you're having problems, maybe you can approach this from a different point of view...?

[Conway]

1. 1: Move one match out slightly so a tiny square appears in the middle of the +. Of course, this relies on the matches having straight ends.

2. 1: Move one stick from the = to the -, then view from above; 28 - 16 = 12

[chaos_defrost]

#2 is correct... For 1... assume you are using toothpicks with pointed ends instead of matches.

[ccexplore]

You can move one stick to make two squared, but that would make for rather lame puzzle.

[DragonsLover]

Hey geoo, nice avatar from Supaplex! ;D

And tseug, yours is nice too.

[Winlemm]

I'm anewbie and havent been a member of a forum before. How do you get pics from your hard drive as your avator? i was trying to do this last time i edited my profile but couldnt work it out .

[DragonsLover]

You can't, but I always like this feature!

You have to pick up an image from a link, that's all.

[geoo]

Hey geoo, nice avatar from Supaplex! ;D

And tseug, yours is nice too.

Yeah, it's inspired by a part of Kim MinSoo's Set78, you know the effect?

@Winlemm, yes, you need to upload your avatar somewhere I think.

[JM]

Tseug your avatar is ace  

[Winlemm]

Oh great.

[Jazzem]

Anyone who's aware of mobile phone lemmings will recognise mine

[DragonsLover]

Oh... ok! I thought first that the eye was misplaced in your image. I just realise that the lemmings is blinking his second eye! Is it right?

[ccexplore]

Anyone who's aware of mobile phone lemmings will recognise mine

That's a blocker  

And I thought jLemmings has awful graphics.  Though to be fair, it looks nice, just not very blockerly that's all. If I were to guess I would've thought it is a miner (with his ax on the left side).

[Jazzem]

His other eye is the other side of his nose. So it's not visible.

I made the same mistake with a similar image.

[geoo]

That's a blocker  

And I thought jLemmings has awful graphics.  Though to be fair, it looks nice, just not very blockerly that's all. If I were to guess I would've thought it is a miner (with his ax on the left side).

I think that text isn't related to the image; if I remember correctly, he had the same text already with the Yoshi avatar.