The Handcuffs Puzzle

Time to warm the brain up with some lateral thinking before paddling.

For this puzzle you need two people, some rope and some empty space to do the puzzle in. Each person will need a piece of rope with a loop tied in both ends, so it can be worn as handcuffs. The rope should be reasonably long, so that the person wearing it can easily step over it if they want.

Each person puts on a complete set of handcuffs. Before putting them on, they loop their handcuffs around each other so they are tied together. Each person should wear a complete set of handcuffs. They then have to get themselves apart while following these rules:

The handcuffs cannot be removed.

Do not break, cut, saw through, bite through or in any other way damage the rope. Damaging each other is probably a bad idea too.

If you are doing this puzzle with a class, make certain you tell them they need to be able to show you their solution. Otherwise it won't be so enjoyable.

http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/jbhandcuff.htm