Can You Solve It? Are You Smarter Than a Soap Bubble?
Imagine four towns at the corners of a square, connected by roads. The challenge is to find the road network that uses the smallest total length of road while still connecting all four towns. Sounds simple, but it's not as straightforward as it seems.
The O-loop and U-route are two obvious options, but they're not the optimal solutions. The O-loop is a bit too generous with its asphalt, while the U-route is unnecessarily lavish.
So, how do you solve this puzzle? Well, nature has already figured out the answer, thanks to soap bubbles. By creating a plastic model of the puzzle and placing it in a bowl of soapy water, bubbles will form around the dowels, revealing the solution.
The shape of the solution resembles a simple geometrical shape that appears in our everyday world. It's a familiar setting, one that you might encounter when walking through your local park or city square.
For now, I'll leave you to ponder this puzzle and perhaps create some bubbles of your own at home. Stay tuned for my return at 5 pm UK, where I'll reveal the solution and share a video of the soap bubble experiment.
In the meantime, feel free to discuss your favourite puzzles or suggestions for future problems in the comments below.
Imagine four towns at the corners of a square, connected by roads. The challenge is to find the road network that uses the smallest total length of road while still connecting all four towns. Sounds simple, but it's not as straightforward as it seems.
The O-loop and U-route are two obvious options, but they're not the optimal solutions. The O-loop is a bit too generous with its asphalt, while the U-route is unnecessarily lavish.
So, how do you solve this puzzle? Well, nature has already figured out the answer, thanks to soap bubbles. By creating a plastic model of the puzzle and placing it in a bowl of soapy water, bubbles will form around the dowels, revealing the solution.
The shape of the solution resembles a simple geometrical shape that appears in our everyday world. It's a familiar setting, one that you might encounter when walking through your local park or city square.
For now, I'll leave you to ponder this puzzle and perhaps create some bubbles of your own at home. Stay tuned for my return at 5 pm UK, where I'll reveal the solution and share a video of the soap bubble experiment.
In the meantime, feel free to discuss your favourite puzzles or suggestions for future problems in the comments below.
I mean, who wouldn't wanna figure out the most efficient way to connect 4 towns? It's like solving a big ol' real-life Rubik's cube! 
But what really caught my attention is how soap bubbles helped crack it. Like, literally! 
Those bubbles are so genius - they just kinda... figure it out on their own, right?
! I'm hyped to see what our community comes up with - share your favorite puzzles or suggestions in the comments below, pls! 
! I swear, I had a ball (heh) when I was younger, trying to juggle. I was never any good at it though 
... A road network that's like a soap bubble? Sounds kinda weird 
. Can't wait to see the solution and the soap bubble video at 5 pm 
. Have you guys ever tried making soap bubbles? It's actually kinda cool 
. I've got a few puzzles up my sleeve too, wanna hear 'em?
it's like how nature found a way to optimize road networks without us even thinking about it 
and yeah the o-loop and u-route don't sound like the best solutions tbh 
can't wait for 5 pm UK when you share the solution and video! 
The image of the U-route being "unnecessarily lavish" cracked me up 
. anyone else think of this while browsing socials today?
ive been thinking about it all day and i still dont have a clue lol the soap bubble thing tho is genius 
the soap bubble hack tho?! genius, pure genius!
can't wait to see your vid at 5 pm, gotta get my brain ready 
And using a plastic model in soapy water is genius! That must be so satisfying when you see those bubbles form and figure out the puzzle. I'm curious what that geometrical shape looks like in real life... hopefully it's not too hard to spot? 