Wheels And Cogs

Solving this puzzle depends on a knowledge of how cogs and wheels work. In essence, a cog turning clockwise will turn the next cog in the mechanism anti-clockwise, and vice versa. Where a cog is joined to another by a chain, the direction in which the next cog turns will depend on whether the chain is crossed or not: a chain that is not crossed will turn the next cog in the same direction, whereas a crossed chain will turn the next cog in the opposite direction.

Working on these simple principles, it is possible to work your way through the system of cogs, wheels and chains to determine the direction in which the last item in the system will turn.

The quality of the puzzle is often solely the responsibility of an illustrator. Good illustrators seldom make good puzzle-setters. For this reason alone, the puzzle does not make a regular appearance in many titles.