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I have come up with an interesting type of puzzle based on the mathematical concept of a meander. The concept, of course, is not original to me, but the type of puzzle is, as far as I know.

A meander is a curve that intersects a given line a certain number of times, but does not intersect itself. To complete each puzzle, you must draw a meander, starting at one red node and ending at another, that passes through all nodes on the given line. Additionally, each number above or below the line and between two of its nodes denotes the number of "arches" of the meander that must cover it, or segments of the meander on one side of the line that join two nodes on opposite sides of the number. Here is an example puzzle:

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and here is a possible solution:

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Here are 4 meander puzzles. Enjoy!

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If the rules of the puzzle are unclear, just let me know and I'll be happy to elaborate. Happy puzzling!

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  • $\begingroup$ Do you have to alternate sides? $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Jul 1, 2017 at 22:28
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, you do. The curve must cross the lines at the nodes, except for where it starts and ends. $\endgroup$
    – Franklin Pezzuti Dyer
    Jul 1, 2017 at 22:29
  • $\begingroup$ Are solutions unique? $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Jul 1, 2017 at 22:30
  • $\begingroup$ Nice! I like this idea $\endgroup$
    – BreakingMyself
    Jul 1, 2017 at 23:07
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    $\begingroup$ ...That's a bad thing. It means you'll have to make a "guess" somewhere. (I elaborated more on this in chat.) $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Jul 2, 2017 at 0:05

1 Answer 1

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Solutions:

Meander puzzle #1

meander 1

Meander puzzle #2 (after update)

meander 2

Meander puzzle #3

meander 3

Meander puzzle #4

meander 4

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  • $\begingroup$ Nice! You're so close to getting all $4$... $\endgroup$
    – Franklin Pezzuti Dyer
    Jul 1, 2017 at 23:28
  • $\begingroup$ @Nilknarf how do you draw the curves? i think i'm close to getting 2 and am not sure how to post the answer. $\endgroup$
    – Quintec
    Jul 1, 2017 at 23:43
  • $\begingroup$ @Nilknarf Got all 4. I didn't realize that #2 had been updated, I don't think it was solvable before. $\endgroup$
    – MikeQ
    Jul 2, 2017 at 0:28

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