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Puzzle Solving Time Calculator

Work out puzzle solving time instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Puzzle Solving Time Calculator

Solo time is pieces divided by the placement rate; extra people multiply the rate but with a 15% per-person coordination loss, since two solvers often reach for the same piece. Jigsaw effort scales with piece count while search time grows faster, so the honest team estimate is always less than a straight division by the number of solvers.

Formulas

Solo time

solo minutes = pieces / pieces per minute

Team time

team rate = rate x people / (1 + 0.15 x (people - 1)); minutes = pieces / team rate

Worked example

With the default values below, Puzzle Solving Time Calculator returns Estimated time to finish of 2.66. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Number of piecesminimum 10
500
Pieces placed per minuteminimum 0.1
1.8
People working on itminimum 1
2

Results

Estimated time to finish
2.66 h
Time in hours and minutes
2h 40m
Total minutes
160 min
Time if one person did it alone
4.63 h

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Solo time
  3. 3Team time
  4. 4Estimated time to finish= 2.66 h
  5. 5Time in hours and minutes= 2h 40m
  6. 6Total minutes= 160 min
  7. 7Time if one person did it alone= 4.63 h

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Puzzle Solving Time figure worked out?

solo minutes = pieces / pieces per minute. Solo time is pieces divided by the placement rate; extra people multiply the rate but with a 15% per-person coordination loss, since two solvers often reach for the same piece.

Why does this matter?

Jigsaw effort scales with piece count while search time grows faster, so the honest team estimate is always less than a straight division by the number of solvers.

What do I need to enter?

Enter number of pieces, pieces placed per minute, people working on it. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.

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