Newton’s Gravity Defying Puzzle is a wooden brain teaser from Professor Puzzle’s Great Minds collection, dedicated to Isaac Newton and his theory of gravitation. It consists of two pieces: a small cup and an elongated piece that sits inside it. The challenge is to get that piece out of the cup while respecting the conditions set by the puzzle itself, hence its name: it seems as if you have to defy gravity.

• BrandProfessor Puzzle
• CollectionGreat Minds
• TypeBrain teaser
• MaterialWood
• Pieces2

The Great Minds collection

Great Minds is a Professor Puzzle collection that links each brain teaser to a historical figure; each box includes a short biography of the person and explains how they relate to the puzzle. The display it comes from brings together six models from the collection, three in metal and three in wood, dedicated to Benjamin Franklin, Galileo, William the Conqueror, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton and William Shakespeare. The pieces have an aged finish that suits the historical theme.

How it works

It is neither an interlocking-pieces puzzle nor an assembly puzzle: the idea is almost a physical riddle, the kind that makes you rethink what seems impossible at first glance. The rules are few and clear, and the fun lies in finding a way to follow them.

Professor Puzzle describes it as a challenging brain teaser, without giving it a numerical level. Given its premise, it lends itself to being set as a challenge for a group to see who hits on the idea first.