How to Build a Tangram
A tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle made of seven geometric shapes, called tans, that are flipped, rotated and combined to create a certain shape or design. To solve a tangram puzzle, you are given a design and have to determine how to use all seven tans to copy that shape. Currently, tangrams are used not only as puzzles but also as tools to teach mathematical concepts such as symmetry, area and perimeter. You can create your own set of tans, using a square of paper or cardboard, and see how many tangram puzzles you can solve.
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Instructions
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1
Measure and draw a 4-inch by 4-inch square on your cardboard. Use the scissors to carefully cut out the square.
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Draw a 1-inch grid on the square. When you have finished, you should have four rows of four squares, for a total of 16 squares.
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3
Use your ruler to carefully draw a diagonal line from the top right corner to the bottom left corner of the 4-by-4 square. Your line should pass diagonally through fours squares, dividing the 4-by-4 square into two triangular halves.
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4
Draw another diagonal line parallel to the first line. Begin this line from the middle of the bottom side of your 4-by-4 square and end the line at the midpoint of the right side of the 4-by-4 square. It should cross diagonally through two of the small squares and create a triangle in the corner of the large square.
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Draw a diagonal line perpendicular to your first two lines, this time starting at the top left corner and stopping when you reach the second line. This line should pass diagonally through three of the small grid squares.
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Begin at the end point of the previous line and draw a horizontal line, 2 inches long, that follows the line of the grid from the midpoint of the shortest diagonal line across the tops of the middle two squares in the bottom row.
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Draw one final diagonal line from the midpoint of the right side of the 4-by-4 square, stopping at the long diagonal line bisecting the large square. This small line should cross only one grid square.
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Cut along the lines drawn, carefully cutting the 4-by-4 square into two large triangles, one medium triangle, two small triangles, one square and one parallelogram.
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Tips & Warnings
Try drawing your grid lines in a different color from the tangram lines. This will make it easier to know where to cut.
Paint or decorate your tans in interesting colors and patterns.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
