AN ABUNDANCE OF REPRESENTATIONS OF TOWER OF HANOI

Abstract

In late 1883, French citizens could collect a newspaper and read that Vietnam became a protectorate of France. This event allowed for the economic exploitation of Vietnamese land, people, and resources. Perhaps more importantly, French mathematician Édouard Lucas was able to capitalize on this event to market his new puzzle game, La Tour d’Hanoï (The Tower of Hanoi). While the puzzle itself has a somewhat mechanical solution, there is much potential to form new, related puzzles through adding or restricting the rules of the original (classic) game.