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We've all been there: it's puzzle time, but once you dump out the pieces and start laying them flat, you realize you don't have enough space on your table. Join me as we use physics to find out ✨HOW BIG A TABLE YOU NEED FOR YOUR JIGSAW PUZZLE ✨

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2312.04588
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How big a table do you need for your jigsaw puzzle?

Jigsaw puzzles are typically labeled with their finished area and number of pieces. With this information, is it possible to estimate the area required to lay each piece flat before assembly? We derive a simple formula based on two-dimensional circul…
arXiv.org
#scicomm
in reply to Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD

Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD
Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD
• •
This work was a pandemic collaboration between me and the brilliant Kent Bonsma-Fisher, with assistance from our toddler and cat. The result, in his words, was "the cleanest dataset I have ever collected." Today our results are public on #arXiv!
#arxiv
in reply to Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD

Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD
Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD
• •
TL;DR: an unassembled jigsaw puzzle takes up an area that is the square root of 3 times the area of the assembled puzzle, or about 1.7 times the assembled area. This is *independent of the number of pieces*.

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