How to Make a Parallelogram With Seven Shapes

Tangrams are sometimes used to teach geometry.

Tangrams are a geometric game invented in Imperial China. The game is played with seven geometric shapes: a square, a rhombus, and five isosceles right triangles. These shapes can be arranged and rearranged to make thousands of designs. Since they first became popular in the 1800s, many books and guides have been written about tangrams. These include both simple and complex patterns, as well as history and mathematical theories involving tangrams.

Things You'll Need

• Tangram set

Instructions

1. Place the two largest triangle pieces side by side to form a large equilateral triangle with a single peak pointing up.

2. Put the rhombus vertically against the left side of this triangle, with one corner touching the top peak of the triangle.

3. Place the medium-sized triangle directly below the rhombus, with the widest side pointing upward.

4. Set the square on top of the widest side of the medium-sized triangle. This will leave two triangular-shaped gaps on either side of it.

5. Place the final two triangles in the gaps created in Step 4.

References

• Logicville: Tangram
• "Eighth Book of Tan"; Sam Loyd; 1903