Goal: Try to cross all seven bridges exactly once!
The original layout: 2 islands in the river, mainland north and south, connected by 7 bridges.
🎓 The Mathematical Truth
Leonhard Euler proved in 1736 that this puzzle has no solution!
For a path that crosses every bridge exactly once to exist, each area must have an even number of bridges (except for at most two areas which can have an odd number - these would be the start and end points).
Bridge count per area:
- North Mainland: 3 bridges (odd) ❌
- South Mainland: 3 bridges (odd) ❌
- West Island: 5 bridges (odd) ❌
- East Island: 2 bridges (odd) ❌
Since we have 3 areas with an odd number of bridges (more than the maximum of 2), the puzzle is mathematically impossible! This was the birth of graph theory. 🧮