The description in terms of rectangles was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a path bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total path of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted idea of the author:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. The string may only enter a region when it fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Only in left images can this process be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Quite convoluted when spelled out in detail, but not terribly complicated to imagine visually. (See the keyword @unwordable.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle represents the animation of a string throughout an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that horizontal lines subdividing the original rectangle become the segments in the final picture corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The description in terms of rectangles was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a path bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total path of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted idea of the author:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. The string may only enter a region when it fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Only in left images can this process be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Quite convoluted when spelled out in detail. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword @unwordable.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle represents the animation of a string throughout an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that horizontal lines subdividing the original rectangle become the segments in the final picture corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The description in terms of rectangles was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total chain of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted idea of the author:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. The string may only enter a region when it fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Only in left images can this process be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Quite convoluted when spelled out in detail. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword @unwordable.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle represents the animation of a string throughout an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that horizontal lines subdividing the original rectangle become the segments in the final picture corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The description in terms of rectangles was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total chain of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted idea of the author:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. The string may only enter a region when it fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Only in left images can this process be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Quite convoluted when spelled out in detail. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle represents the animation of a string throughout an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that horizontal lines subdividing the original rectangle become the segments in the final picture corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The description in terms of rectangles was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total chain of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted idea of the author:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. The string may only enter a region when it fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Only in left images can this process be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Quite convoluted when spelled out in detail. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle represents the animation of a string throughout an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that horizontal lines subdividing the original rectangle become the segments of the final picture corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The description in terms of rectangles was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total chain of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted idea of the author:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. The string may only enter a region when it fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Only in left images can this process be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Quite convoluted when spelled out in detail. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle represents the animation of a string throughout an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that the regions in the original subdivided rectangle become regions of the final picture corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The description in terms of rectangles was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total chain of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted idea of the author:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. The string may only enter a region when it fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Only in left images can this process be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Quite convoluted when spelled out in detail. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle represents the animation of a string throughout an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that regions in the original subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The description in terms of rectangles was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total chain of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted solution description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region if the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle may represents the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that regions in the original subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a topmost total chain of segments and bottommost total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted solution description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region if the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle may represents the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that regions in the original subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, in each example, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a top total chain of segments and bottom total chain of segments.

Any picture on the left can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from a particular side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom (as it would be if this were a subdivision of a rectangle).

And this was the original, more convoluted solution description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region if the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated to imagine visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle may represents the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

The principle that regions in the original subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments and bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

So, here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from one side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note the condition that regions in a subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down completely into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, there is a single leftmost point and a single rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

So, here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from one side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note the condition that regions in a subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down completely into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, there is a single leftmost point and a signle rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

So, here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from either the left or right side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from one side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note the condition that regions in a subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down completely into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, there is a single leftmost point and a signle rightmost point, and every segment is part of a chain bridging between them. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

So, here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from one side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note the condition that regions in a subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down completely into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, every segment is part of a chain reaching from a single leftmost point to a single rightmost point. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

So, here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from one side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note the condition that regions in a subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down completely into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, every segment is part of a chain reaching from a single leftmost point to a single rightmost point. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

So, here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note the condition that regions in a subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down completely into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, every segment is part of a chain reaching from a single leftmost point to a single rightmost point. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note the condition that regions in a subdivided rectangle turn into regions in the collapsed version corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once.

The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down completely into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, every segment is part of a chain reaching from a single leftmost point to a single rightmost point. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note that regions in the rectangle being turned into regions in the final shape corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once. The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, every segment is part of a chain reaching from a single leftmost point to a single rightmost point. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be turned into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two lines bordering a region.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note that regions in the rectangle being turned into regions in the final shape corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once. The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, every segment is part of a chain reaching from a single leftmost point to a single rightmost point. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be expanded into a subdivided rectangle by the process of expanding points into vertical lines and expanding chains of segments into regions bordered by two chains. Examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed flat into line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two lines bordering a region.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note that regions in the rectangle being turned into regions in the final shape corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once. The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, every segment is part of a chain reaching from a single leftmost point to a single rightmost point. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be obtained by collapsing a subdivided rectangle so that all vertical lines are shrunken to points; examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed down into horizontal line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with two horizontal segments bookending its top and bottom, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, this single line must instead be expanded into two lines bordering a region.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note that regions in the rectangle being turned into regions in the final shape corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once. The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it is clear when one is to the left of another. It is also clear, for two chains of segments that intersect only at a shared leftmost point and shared rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in each example of this Bongard Problem, every segment is part of a chain reaching from a single leftmost point to a single rightmost point. So, there is a clear top total chain of segments bottom total chain of segments.

Any example like this can be obtained by collapsing a subdivided rectangle so that all vertical lines are shrunken to points; examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed down into horizontal line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with horizontal segments attached to the right of both its top and bottom point, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, the single line must instead be expanded into two lines bordering a region.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note that regions in the rectangle being turned into regions in the final shape corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once. The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature arced line segments in 2D connected at endpoints; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it should be clear when one is to the left of another. It should also be clear, for two chains of segments that only join up at a leftmost point and rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in these examples, every segment is part of a chain reaching from the single leftmost point to the single rightmost point. So, it should be clear which chain of segments is the top chain and which chain of segments is the bottom chain.

Any example like this can be obtained by collapsing a subdivided rectangle so that all vertical lines are shrunken to points; examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed down into horizontal line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with horizontal segments attached to the right of both its top and bottom point, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, the single line must instead be expanded into two lines bordering a region.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note that regions in the rectangle being turned into regions in the final shape corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once. The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature some points in 2D connected by arced line segments; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it should be clear when one is to the left of another. It should also be clear, for two chains of segments that only join up at a leftmost point and rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in these examples, every segment is part of a chain reaching from the single leftmost point to the single rightmost point. So, it should be clear which chain of segments is the top chain and which chain of segments is the bottom chain.

Any example like this can be obtained by collapsing a subdivided rectangle so that all vertical lines are shrunken to points; examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed down into horizontal line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

If there is some junction point with only a single line coming out from (say) the right side, the point cannot be expanded into a vertical segment with horizontal segments attached to the right of both its top and bottom point, as it must be within a subdivision of a rectangle. For the whole shape to expand into a subdivision of a rectangle, the single line must instead be expanded into two lines bordering a region.

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note that regions in the rectangle being turned into regions in the final shape corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once. The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down into that arc-segment.

The rectangle-based description was noted by Sridhar Ramesh when he solved this.

All examples in this Bongard Problem feature some points in 2D connected by arced line segments; these segments do not cross across one another and they are nowhere vertical; they never double back over themselves in the horizontal direction. So, in a chain of segments, it should be clear when one is to the left of another. It should also be clear, for two chains of segments that only join up at a leftmost point and rightmost point, which is above the other.

Furthermore, in these examples, every segment is part of a chain reaching from the single leftmost point to the single rightmost point. So, it should be clear which chain of segments is the top chain and which chain of segments is the bottom chain.

Any example like this can be obtained by collapsing a subdivided rectangle so that all vertical lines are shrunken to points; examples shown on the right of this Bongard Problem are like examples that would fit left, but are collapsed further: some 2D regions have also been collapsed down into horizontal line segments.

Here is another answer:

"Right examples: some junction point has a single line coming out from one side."

And this was the original, more vague description:

"Start with a string along the top path. Sweep it down, region-by-region, until it lies along the bottom path. Only in left images can this be done so that no segment of the string ever hesitates."

Here are some subtleties to this string sweeping rule. Each point on the string can only move vertically. The string may only enter a region when the string fully covers that region's top edge and likewise it must exit by fully covering the bottom edge. Thus a portion of string cannot enter a region until the string is finished sweeping down the regions directly above.

It seems quite convoluted spelled out in detail, at least like this. (Although it is not terribly complicated imagined visually. See the keyword "unwordable" left-BP506.)

The string-sweeping answer is the same as the rectangle answer because a rectangle indexes the animation of a string through an interval of time. (A horizontal cross-section of the rectangle represents the string, and the vertical position is time.) Distorting the rectangle into a new shape is the same as animating a string sweeping across that new shape.

In particular, shrinking vertical lines of a rectangle into points means just those points of the string can stay still as the string sweeps down.

Note that regions in the rectangle being turned into regions in the final shape corresponds to the idea that the string must enter or exit a single region all at once. The string may enter an arc-segment, hesitate there, and then exit just in case a 2D region of the rectangle has been collapsed down into that arc-segment.

The string-sweeping answer is also the same as the line-segment-and-loop answer. Here is roughly the reasoning (hopefully it is not too hard to convert into language about rectangles):

When the string hesitates, that means it enters a line segment at a distinct time from when it exits.

The string is forced to enter/exit a line segment at the same time as another line segment just in case the two line segments have a shared region above/below them. (Otherwise the two segments' entrances/exits may vertically slide independently in the potential rectangle timing picture.)

Suppose a line segment X must be entered at the same time as line segment A and exited at the same time as line segment B; that is, there is a white region shared above X and A and a white region shared below X and B. Without loss of generality one can equivalently assume A and B are adjacent to X (since some line segment along the shared white region must be adjacent to X in each case).

Now suppose A is above B. Note this means A and B are on the same side of X (say, on the right). To recap, there are white regions shared above X and A and below X and B, and A and B are both adjacent to X on the same side. Equivalently, there are no segments above and below X, joining at its (right) end, cutting across that area.

And if either of these segments cutting across exists, it and X can be extended to eventually join up on the left. This is equivalent to a loop containing X separating it from A and B, which themselves can be extended to eventually join up on the right, forming a loop.