Tower of Hanoi Puzzle
Sunday, June 4th, 2006The Tower of Hanoi (also referred to as the Tower of Brahma) was invented by the French mathematician Edouard Lucas in 1883. He was inspired by a legend that tells of a Hindu temple where the pyramid puzzle was used for the mental discipline of young priests. The objective of the game is to move a stack of disks from the left-most pole to the right-most in the least amount of moves, the catch being a smaller disk must always be stacked on top of a larger, and never the other way around. Depending on the number of disks, this can become very challenging. Try the game with 3 disks first and then add more to increase difficulty. Download the SketchUp model here.
Cutting List
| Part | Description | Qty. | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Disk 1 | 1 | Dark hardwood | 1-1/4″ square x 1/4″ thick |
| B | Disk 2 | 1 | Dark hardwood | 1-5/8″ square x 1/4″ thick |
| C | Disk 3 | 1 | Dark hardwood | 2″ square x 1/4″ thick |
| D | Disk 4 | 1 | Light hardwood | 2-3/8″ square x 1/4″ thick |
| E | Disk 5 | 1 | Light hardwood | 2-3/4″ square x 1/4″ thick |
| F | Disk 6 | 1 | Light hardwood | 3-1/8″ square x 1/4″ thick |
| G | Disk 7 | 1 | Dark hardwood | 3-1/2″ square x 1/4″ thick |
| H | Peg | 3 | 3/16″ hardwood dowel | 2-13/16″ long |
| J | Base | 1 | Light hardwood | 3/4″ x 11-3/4″ x 4″ |
Cut and drill the base to the dimensions shown below. Glue a 3/16″ diameter x 2-13/16″ long hardwood dowel into each of the holes on the base. Cut the disks out of varying shades of 1/4″ thick hardwood to the dimensions shown in the cutting list above. In the center of each disk drill a clearence hole so that the disks fit on the 3/16″ diameter pegs.
Base
