We devise a simple visual method to determine whether a Tower of Hanoi configuration is a part of the optimal puzzle solution. The proof, sketched here, uses both mathematical induction and counting ...

The Tower of Hanoi is a classic puzzle. Yet a cognitive analysis revealed decision requirements that had previously been unknown—showing the power of the cognitive dimension.

The Tower of Hanoi problem consists of moving a tower of 64 disks, each smaller than the one below it, originally existing on one peg, to a second peg, using a third peg for intermediate moves.