The goal and rules for these two mazes are as follows: Enter the maze from the left, pass through the central chamber, and then exit on the right. You may not retrace your path.
The maze at the top is obviously hardly a challenge at all; in fact, it is hardly a maze, while the maze at the bottom is very tricky. Actually, both mazes have exactly the same number of paths with the same kind of connections. The maze on the top is a map or diagram for the maze below. Knowing this, you should be able to navigate the lower maze without error even though the route is not intuitive.
Since three paths come together to form intersections, your route must create a dead-end at each one you visit. The diagram reveals that there are 13 such intersections before the center and 13 on the way from the center to the exit. Any wrong turn from the solution path before the center cuts off either the center or the exit and any wrong turn after the center results in a collision into a dead-end of your own making.
If you did not have the diagram for the maze, finding the solution by following paths at whim without getting lost is very unlikely. It would be like winning the lottery. If, however, you use logic to find the solution path, you may discover it without error. Since you know you must exit the maze, follow the path from it to the first intersection you encounter. If you then take a left turn you will reach the start, effectively creating a path from start to finish that does not pass through the center. So…the solution path must go the other way. Build the solution with logic.
Is it better to plunge blindly into a maze or better to solve it by using logic? I suppose it depends on whether or not you want to get lost.
Tags: logic, maze puzzle, through the center