11.2: Tangrams

Math for Educators (MATH 010A and 010B CID120) · LibreTexts

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    Tangrams are a seven-piece geometric puzzle that dates back at least to the Song Dynasty in China (about 1100 AD). Below[1] you will find the seven puzzle pieces. Make a careful copy (a photocopy or printout is best), cut out the puzzle pieces, and then use them to solve the problems in this section.

    Capture.PNG

    Whenever you solve a tangram puzzle, your job is to use all seven pieces to form the shape. They should fit together like puzzle pieces, sitting flat on the table; no overlapping of the pieces is allowed.

    You can trace around your solutions to remember what you have done and to have a record of your work.

    Problem 1

    Use your tangram pieces to build the following designs[2]. How many can you make?

    2000px-Tangrams_convex_silhouettes.svg_.png

    (These are all separate challenges. Each one requires all seven pieces. Once you solve one, trace your solution. Then try to solve another one.)

    Problem 2

    Use your tangram pieces to build the following designs[3]. How many can you make?

    tangrams2-350x351.png

    (These are all separate challenges. Each one requires all seven pieces. Once you solve one, trace your solution. Then try to solve another one.)

    Think / Pair / Share

    • Which tangram problems were easier and which were harder: making “real life” objects like cats and people, or purely mathematical objects like the rectangle?
    • What do you think made one kind of problem easier or harder?
    1. Image of tangram puzzle from Wikimedia Commons, public domain. ↵
    2. Tangram puzzles from Wikimedia Commons, public domain. ↵
    3. Tangram puzzles from pixababy.com,CC0 Creative Commons. ↵

    This page titled 11.2: Tangrams was last modified on Sun, 07 Jul 2024 21:03:51 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Michelle Manes via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.