Tube Sort is a sorting puzzle like the games called Ball Sort or Water Sort. In Quirk, each bead shows a letter, and you sort by letter.
The rules
- Move the top bead from one tube to another. You move 1 bead at a time.
- A bead can only go into an empty tube or onto the same letter, and only if there is room.
- All tubes hold the same number of beads. Each letter has just enough beads to fill 1 tube.
- You can also move beads out of a full tube.
- The puzzle is done when every tube is either empty or full of one letter.
- Any moves that finish the puzzle count. You do not need the fewest moves.
Ball Sort games also move one ball at a time. In Water Sort games, one pour can move several matching layers at once. In Quirk, one move is always one bead.
A worked example
There are 4 tubes, and each tube holds 3 beads. Read each tube from bottom to top.
| Tube | Bottom | Middle | Top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tube 1 | A | B | A |
| Tube 2 | B | A | B |
| Tube 3 | empty | empty | empty |
| Tube 4 | empty | empty | empty |
- Move the top A from tube 1 into empty tube 3. Tube 1 now shows B on top.
- Move that B from tube 1 into empty tube 4. Now tube 3 is for A and tube 4 is for B.
- Move the last A from tube 1 onto the A in tube 3. Tube 1 is now empty.
- Move the top B from tube 2 onto the B in tube 4.
- Move the A from tube 2 onto tube 3. Tube 3 is now full of A.
- Move the last B from tube 2 onto tube 4. Tube 4 is now full of B.
- Tubes 1 and 2 are empty, tube 3 holds A A A and tube 4 holds B B B. The puzzle is solved.
Here is a second board. Each tube holds 2 beads. From bottom to top, tube 1 holds A B, tube 2 holds B C and tube 3 holds C A. Tube 4 is empty.
- The top letters are B, C and A. They are all different, so a bead can only go into the empty tube.
- Move the B from tube 1 into tube 4. Tube 1 now shows A.
- Move the A from tube 3 onto the A in tube 1. Tube 1 is full of A, and tube 3 now shows C.
- Move the C from tube 2 onto the C in tube 3. Tube 3 is full of C.
- Move the last B from tube 2 onto the B in tube 4. Tube 4 is full of B and tube 2 is empty.
Beginner techniques
Keep a spare tube
An empty tube is your most useful space. Try not to fill it with beads you will need to move again soon.
Uncover the next letter
Look at the bead under each top bead. Move a top bead aside when the bead below it can then join its own letter.
Give each spare tube one letter
With two spare tubes, keep different letters apart. Put the A beads in one and the B beads in the other. Then matching beads stay together on top.
Break the ring
Sometimes letters cover each other in a ring: A under B, B under C and C under A. One move into an empty tube breaks the ring. After that, each move frees the next letter.
Think before the last space fills
Before you fill the last free space, check that another move is still possible. If no bead can move, use Undo and try a different move.
Common mistakes
- Filling the empty tube too early with a bead that has nowhere to go next.
- Thinking a tube is done when it holds only A beads but is not full yet.
- Thinking a full tube is locked. You can still move beads out of it.
- Chasing the fewest moves. Any route that finishes the puzzle counts.
Questions
Is Tube Sort the same as Ball Sort?
It is very close. Both move one piece at a time onto a matching piece or into an empty tube. Quirk shows a letter on each bead, so you sort by letter.
How is it different from Water Sort?
In Water Sort, one pour can move several matching layers at once. In Quirk, every move takes exactly 1 bead.
Do I need to use the fewest moves?
No. Any moves that follow the rules and finish the puzzle count.
What sizes are there?
Puzzles use 3 to 6 tubes. Each tube holds 2 to 4 beads, and there are up to 4 letters. The hardest puzzles have 6 tubes of 4 beads each.
What if I get stuck?
If no bead can move, Quirk tells you. Use Undo to take back a move, or Reset to start again. A hint shows a plan of moves, 1 bead at a time.
Is Tube Sort good for beginners?
Yes. The first puzzles have only a few beads. Each move is one tap on a tube and one tap on another.
Related puzzles
Playing it in Quirk
Tap a tube to pick up its top bead, then tap the tube where it should go. Tap the same tube again to put it back.
You can add notes to a tube as reminders. Notes do not limit your moves. Undo takes back 1 move, and text lists read each tube from bottom to top.
