At-home STEM Activities: Tangrams
Image via wikipedia
Tangrams are a geometric puzzle that have been entertaining people for centuries. The exact history isn’t known, but it’s believed that tangrams originated in China during the Song dynasty. To study geometric principals, Chinese mathematicians would cut out and manipulate shapes. This technique was used to explain what the Europeans call the Pythagorean Theorem. Historians believe that tangrams were developed from this problem solving technique. In the 19th century, tangrams’ popularity spread to Europe and then the United States, and people all around the world still ____.
A set of tangrams is comprised of seven shapes: 2 large right triangles, 1 medium right triangle, 2 small right triangles, a square, and a parallelogram. In a tangram puzzle, you want to use all 7 shapes to form the given picture. This can be tricky since there are billions of ways to arrange the shapes, but you’re trying to find the one that makes the right shape.
There isn’t really a proven strategy, but as you solve more puzzles, see if you can find any techniques that help you find solutions.
As you work with tangrams, you’re growing in your analytical skills, your spatial awareness, and your understanding in how shapes can be manipulated. Let’s make our our set of tangrams and work on our problem solving abilities!
DIY Tangrams
Materials:
Tangram guide from below, printed on cardstock or other heavy paper
Scissors
Colored pencils, crayons, markers, etc. (optional)
Instructions:
1. Cut out the shapes, and then color both sides, if you would like.
2. Use your set of tangrams to try to solve the puzzles below. Once you’ve tried your best to find a solution, scroll down to see the answer!
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Solutions:
