I went to the website puzzle.com to try out different visual puzzles. I found two puzzles that presented different types of visual problems. I asked my friend Tim if he'd be willing to look at the same puzzles that I tried so we could compare how well we solved each puzzle and to compare the strategies we used to find the solutions.
The first puzzle we tried was called, "Counting the Triangles 2". It's a two dimensional square with lines dividing it into pieces. It was very easy for me to see the different triangles inside of the square.
The first puzzle we tried was called, "Counting the Triangles 2". It's a two dimensional square with lines dividing it into pieces. It was very easy for me to see the different triangles inside of the square.
I sent the link to the web address where the puzzle could be found to Tim. He looked at the puzzle from his laptop computer. After a short amount of time I asked Tim if he was finished. He said he was and I asked how many he found. He said he had found 28 triangles. I then told him I had found 44. We then looked at the answer key to see the solution.
The answer key shows 16 small triangles, 16 medium triangles, 8 large triangles, and 4 extra large triangles - a total of 44. My method for finding the triangles was simple. I used what McKim would describe as pattern seeking in which one aspect called, "finding" locates a desired pattern embedded in distracting surroundings.
Tim described his method of searching for the triangles as similar to how I found mine. The difference was that he overlooked the medium sized triangles during his search.
In the next puzzle called, "Block Twins" in which each lettered box contains a three dimensional shape formed by a group of cubes. The goal is to match this 3-D shape with another that has been rotated in some way. I attempt to find a solution; again I asked Tim to try to do the same.
For my answer, I paired the following: L&J - K&H - C&F - A&I B&G and E&F. Tim's pairs were: E&L - B&G - H&K - C&D - F&J and A&I. After looking at the answer key I realized how badly (only 50%) I performed on this puzzle, Tim however, was pleased to find out he had gotten all six pairs correct.
In this puzzle I tried to see the shapes in my head and envision what that shape would look like rotated and seeing if any of the other shapes matched that vision. Tim said he looked for common patterns within the form and tried to find other shapes that resemble the those same traits. McKim describes the ability for rotating an object in ones mind as orthographic imagination. Orthographic imagination is the ability to imagine how a solid object looks from several directions. This is an alternative operation: either the object is mentally rotated, or the viewpoint is rotated in relation to the object.
Conclusion: It appears as if my mind is better suited to examine 2-D surfaces since I had no problem finding the 44 triangle in the first puzzle. Tim it seems, is better at conceptualizing 3-D objects in his head.
The answer key shows 16 small triangles, 16 medium triangles, 8 large triangles, and 4 extra large triangles - a total of 44. My method for finding the triangles was simple. I used what McKim would describe as pattern seeking in which one aspect called, "finding" locates a desired pattern embedded in distracting surroundings.Tim described his method of searching for the triangles as similar to how I found mine. The difference was that he overlooked the medium sized triangles during his search.
In the next puzzle called, "Block Twins" in which each lettered box contains a three dimensional shape formed by a group of cubes. The goal is to match this 3-D shape with another that has been rotated in some way. I attempt to find a solution; again I asked Tim to try to do the same.
For my answer, I paired the following: L&J - K&H - C&F - A&I B&G and E&F. Tim's pairs were: E&L - B&G - H&K - C&D - F&J and A&I. After looking at the answer key I realized how badly (only 50%) I performed on this puzzle, Tim however, was pleased to find out he had gotten all six pairs correct.
In this puzzle I tried to see the shapes in my head and envision what that shape would look like rotated and seeing if any of the other shapes matched that vision. Tim said he looked for common patterns within the form and tried to find other shapes that resemble the those same traits. McKim describes the ability for rotating an object in ones mind as orthographic imagination. Orthographic imagination is the ability to imagine how a solid object looks from several directions. This is an alternative operation: either the object is mentally rotated, or the viewpoint is rotated in relation to the object.Conclusion: It appears as if my mind is better suited to examine 2-D surfaces since I had no problem finding the 44 triangle in the first puzzle. Tim it seems, is better at conceptualizing 3-D objects in his head.
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