Online since 2002. The most comprehensive site for all around twisty puzzles.

Starminx III
Above:Solved
Click a thumbnail to see its larger version and description.
The fourth of four puzzles which look like the Starminx. This time it is the deeper cut corner turning dodecehadron.

This puzzle was named Starminx III because it looks like the Starminx (aka Starminx I) at first glance and Starminx II was reserved to another puzzle looking identical and made from the same inventor. There are four puzzle which look like the Starminx at first glance. The one not named Starminx is the Dino dodecahedron.

This is a corner turning dodecahedron. The only puzzle with this axis system and shape before this one was the aforementioned Dino dodecahedron. The only other puzzles published before this one with this axis system was the Radiolarian I. The one who beated them all was Lee Tutt who published his Tuttminx in 2005, a puzzle which allows rotations of a corner turning and face turning dodecahedron.

Compared with the other puzzles mentioned here the Starminx III is way deeper cut. The inventor did not reveal the mechanism of his puzzle but in addition to the 132 visible pieces there are 311 internal pieces if the cuts are planarly continued in the puzzle's depth.
Like the face turning icosahedrons this puzzle allows jumbling turns.
Piece type signature: DC2[F3 T21 X18][]

If jumbling is ignored the puzzle has 3373770008360597996064251961705392492434770006658589191697447512882183587304288215440902949956194932258547186454580446446849028807867760640000000000000000000000000000000000000000 = 337.4*10^175 permutations if all pieces are considered distinguishable and their orientations visible.
Compared with the number available if the puzzle can be disassembled and reassembled there are these restrictions:
-The orientation of the last pentagon is determined by the other 11.
-The pentagons allow only even permutations.
-The edges allow only even permutations.
-The triangles allow only even permutations.
Stickered as shown here the puzzle has 17383031453926109776098674768433960122226870690117053202183015212276742142704233339367998562718817005198442709909504000000 = 17.4*10^120 permutations.

Its size is between the Starminx I (the remade sample from Andrew Cormier) and the Starminx II.
Diameter: 94 mm

Links

Contributors

Thank you to the following people for their assistance in helping collect the information on this page: Andreas Nortmann.

Collections

This puzzle can be found in collections of these members:


Found a mistake or something missing? Edit it yourself or contact the moderator.
join »login » Community