German physicist and crossword fan realized the solving process resembled a type of “percolation problem.”…

Phys.org

United Kingdom

Physicist introduces percolation model to explain word puzzle solving behavior

Alexander Hartmann, a physicist at the University of Oldenburg, in Germany, has introduced a new model to explain a common word puzzle phenomenon. In his paper published in the journal Physical Review E, he suggests that instances where a puzzle solver experiences a sudden insight that allows them to begin finding solutions that seemed hidden are similar in some respects to the type of percolation seen when water percolating through a teabag sud…

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Ars Technica

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Why solving crosswords is like a phase transition

The process of solving a crossword puzzle is mathematically similar to well-studied physical systems – but one property makes the game unique

NewScientist

Alfred Harmsworth (barrister)

Geraldine Mary Harmsworth

Patricia Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere

Baltimore

Maryland

Maths quirk explains why crosswords are so hard – until they aren't

Most crossword puzzle fans have experienced that moment where, after a period of struggle on a particularly difficult puzzle, everything suddenly starts to come together, and they are able to fill in a bunch of squares correctly. Alexander Hartmann, a statistical physicist at the University of Oldenburg in Germany, had an intriguing insight when this happened while he was trying to solve a puzzle one day. According to his paper published in the …

Why solving crosswords is like a phase transition

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