Sudoku Variants Series (318) - Thermometers - Removed Bulbs
(Published on 28. April 2021, 00:00 by Richard)
Thermometers - Removed Bulbs
Inspiration for this type comes from my Puzzle Friend Realshaggy.
Solve online in Penpa+ Thanks to henrypijames.
Apply classic sudoku rules.
The digits in a thermometer are, from the bulb to the/each end, all different and placed in increasing order. The bulbs are removed and placing them is part of the puzzle. Bulbs can be placed on every place on a grey line; in case the bulb is on an end, the line forms one thermometer, in other cases exactly two.
Solution code: Row 4, followed by column 8.
Comments
on 5. February 2022, 20:25 by Nick Smirnov
@Richard, is it possible that different branches of a given line can have same digits? The rules are a little ambiguous for me.
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@Nick: Yes. From the bulb to one end all digits must be different, but on a grey line as a whole digits may be repeated. And they must repeat in some cases, since some lines are longer than nine cells.
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@Richard, thanks. Once again I asked a silly question, sorry. There is a 15-cell line for god's sake, so of course digits can repeat on it. But my brain somehow deduced that on 9-cell lines digits cannot repeat (even if there are 2 thermos on such line) and the puzzle became broken very quickly :D
on 8. August 2021, 15:32 by uvo_mod
Label "Online Solving Tool" ergänzt.
on 1. May 2021, 13:23 by Richard
I solved the puzzle again myself to write a full walk through. I have to admit is was a bit trickier then I had in mind. So my apologies for that. Still I believe you can call this logical solvable.
The full walk through is now written in a hidden comment.
on 1. May 2021, 10:32 by ibag
Wahnsinnig tolle Konstruktion!
on 30. April 2021, 16:22 by Phistomefel
In the picture I definitely see a suitcase in a wheelchair speeding towards a Christmas tree. :)
I have to admit that I didn't understand the end and had to bifurcate, but the puzzle had some really nice logic in it. Thank you, Richard!
on 30. April 2021, 07:14 by Richard
I solved the puzzle again myself to write a full walk through. I have to admit is was a bit trickier then I had in mind. So my apologies for that. Still I believe you can call this logical solvable.
The full walk through is now written in a hidden comment.
on 29. April 2021, 10:27 by Richard
@Statistica: I am curious about that too. I didn't intend to draw a specific picture...
on 28. April 2021, 13:57 by Statistica
Nice. Can somebody see a picture in the pattern? ;-)
on 28. April 2021, 13:11 by marcmees
indeed struggled a bit to fit in the small numbers at the end. thanks.
on 28. April 2021, 12:56 by Realshaggy
Once more you can only appreciate this construction enough, if you tried to construct one for yourself. It is incredibly hard to disambiguate the small digits without using givens. Well done! I hope I find the time for it soon.
on 28. April 2021, 10:52 by Richard
Added link for on line solving. Thanks again to Henry!
on 28. April 2021, 10:48 by Richard
@henry: of course there is a fair bit of logic in the puzzle, but the solution path is really thight!
If I have time, I'll write some of the necessary steps in a hidden comment.
on 28. April 2021, 09:56 by henrypijames
4+ star difficulty for me - think I missed some important logic.
on 28. April 2021, 03:37 by henrypijames
Penpa+: https://git.io/J3vB7
