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Cutting Corners

Can you make the most extraordinary, the most amazing, the most unusual patterns/designs from these triangles which are made in a special way?

Cut and Make

Cut a square of paper into three pieces as shown. Now,can you use the 3 pieces to make a large triangle, a parallelogram and the square again?

Square to L

Find a way to cut a 4 by 4 square into only two pieces, then rejoin the two pieces to make an L shape 6 units high.

Twice as Big?

Age 7 to 11
Challenge Level

We received several solutions to this problem - thank you to all of you who wrote in, including Ivy, Kelsie and William from Mason Middle School; Issy from Culford Prep and Jessica and Philip from CWBS. Here is the image that Jessica and Philip sent:



solution

We also had suggestions about how to go about tackling the problem, for example by starting at the top and fitting shapes in, then gradually working down. Very good advice!



The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.
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