Slide 2 of 61
Notes:
Original Puzzle Source - AIMS Education Foundation Web Site
The second part of this puzzle is to determine "HOW MANY" different solutions exist Extensions involve discussing a 'PROOF' that all solutions have been found.
There are 8! (40,320) different ways to arrange the numbers 1 to 8 in the boxes. Of those arrangements only 4 are solutions to this puzzle.
The center two boxes each touch 6 other boxes. The only numbers you can use in the center boxes are 1 and 8, they are each consecutive to only one other number and that number will be placed in the "outside" box. So the center row can only be:
7 1 8 2 or 2 8 1 7 Once you have the middle row the top and bottom are easy.
