Symmetrical Stack of Cubes

1. How many cubes do you see?

2. Assuming the structure you see above is symmetrical, how many cubes would it take to build it?

3. Assuming the structure above does not have to be symmetrical, and you can see all cubes that are stack on others, how many cubes would it take to build it?

Solution 1      Solution 2      Solution 3

Shapes

How many shapes do you see?

Can you name them all?

Solution

Ladybugs Puzzle

Match the numbers and ladybugs.

Squares And Rectangles - Toothpick Puzzle

Use 14 toothpicks to make two squares, see picture below.

1. How many squares and how many rectangles that are not squares do you see?
2. Can you move four toothpicks to get the same size squares as you see in the picture above and four rectangles that are not squares?

What is a rectangle? What is a square?

Solution 1
Solution 2

Odd One Out - Transformation

Which pair of shapes is different and why?

Solution

Dots To Squares Puzzle

Each dot shown below, can be a vertex (corner) of a square. 

How many squares can you draw?

Solution

Toothpick Squares Puzzle

Arrange sixteen toothpicks to form five squares:

Can you rearrange the same toothpicks to form seventeen squares?

Hint:  move only six toothpicks.

Solution

Double The Squares Puzzle

Use 12 toothpicks to create five squares.

Add four toothpicks to get ten squares.

Solution

Triangles And Hexagons

Look carefully at the picture below.

How many triangles do you see?

How many regular hexagons?

A regular hexagon has six sides of the same length, and all its internal angles are 120 degrees.

Solution

Which Witch is A Witch? Logic Puzzle

Five friends dressed as witches went to Halloween Party.  On the way they met a witch, but they just thought she was another girl dressed as a witch.

Which witch is a real witch?

1. Neither Eugenia nor Bella like a striped stockings;

2. Cassandra has long hair;

3. Anabella loves her cat and takes him with her everywhere;

4. Dalia has short hair and striped stockings;

5. Cassandra and Eugenia both carry brooms;

6. Fiona wears striped stockings and she does not have a cat;

7. Fiona and Cassandra look identical, except Cassandra carries the broom;

8. Cassandra and Anabella are sisters;

9.  The witch has long hair and striped stockings.

What is the name of the witch?

Solution

Toothpick Hexagon

Use 12 toothpicks to build a regular hexagon.

A regular hexagon has six sides of the same length, and all its internal angles are 120 degrees.

How many toothpicks do you need to divide the regular hexagon into six identical shapes?
Solution

Can you divide the hexagon into eight identical shapes?
Solution

Roman Numerals Crossword Puzzle#2

Roman Numerals Crossword Puzzle

Write each number as Roman Numeral:

DOWN:

1.   1,367

2.   2,036

3.   1,153

6.   3,711

ACROSS:

4.   700

5.   1,210

7.   723

8.   2,427

9.   452   

Click here to print the crossword puzzle.

Solution

What are Roman Numerals?

What Time Is It?

1.  Assume the time is few minutes past twelve o'clock.  If in 80 minutes it will be twice as many minutes past one o'clock, how many minutes is it past noon?

Easy?  Try this one.

2.  In 54 minutes it will be half as many minutes after one o'clock as it is now, and 96 minutes ago was three times as many minutes past 10 o'clock in the evening.  What time is it now?

Solutions

Chocolates And Lollipops

Joshua spent $3.25 on two chocolates and three lollipops. 

 

The cost of one lollipop is $1.00 less than the cost of one chocolate.  What is the cost of one lollipop?

Solution

Toothpick Squares

Use eight toothpicks to build a square.

Now, rearrange the same eight toothpicks in such a way that you will get 14 squares.

Solution

Roman Numerals Crossword Puzzle#1

Roman Numerals Crossword Puzzle

Write each number as Roman Numeral:

DOWN:

1.   853

3.   888

4.   2,944

5.   114

ACROSS:

2.   1,596

6.   3,471

7.   976

8.   151

9.   68   

Click here to print the crossword puzzle.

Solution

What are Roman Numerals?

Water Lilies Puzzle

In the beginning, the pond had only one water lily.  The next day there were two lilies.  Each day, the area the lilies covered doubled in size.

On the last day of August the lilies covered the pond completely.

1. On which day, did the lilies cover at least half of the pond?
2. On which day, did the lilies cover at least a quarter of the the pond?

3. If in the beginning there were two water lilies, on which day did the lilies cover the pond completely?

How many days in August?

Solutions

How Many Hugs?

Eight friends, whenever they meet to play, they greet each other with a friendly hug.

How many hugs will they give in total, with each person hugging another person only once?

Solution

Tangram Puzzle #1

Arrange the tans to make the shape below.  Tans cannot overlap.

A Kite

To check the solution click the picture below.

What is a Tangram Puzzle?

How to make your own Tangram Puzzle.

Tangrams

Tangram is a Chinese dissection puzzle which uses 7 geometric shapes called "tans".  The seven shapes are: 2 large triangles, 2 small triangles, 1 medium triangle, 1 small square and 1 parallelogram.

The objective of the puzzle is to make a given shape with all seven tans without overlapping them.  You can enjoy the game of tangrams alone or with a friend.

How to make your own Tangram Puzzle.

A Bit Of Tangram History

The first book of tangrams was published in China in 1913 and by 1818 tangrams were popularized all over Europe.
It is unclear when the tangrams originated.  There are few versions of the origin of the name:

1.   Some believe they were created during the Tang Dynasty which was ruling China in 618 A.D. to 907 A.D.

2.   There is a story about man named Tan who supposedly dropped ceramic tile and by trying to put it together came up with the idea of a puzzle,

3.   There is believe that name came from an old English word "trangam", which means "puzzle" or "trinket",

4.   There is also theory that Tangrams are named after Tanka people who lived in southern China and Hong Kong.

To find out more check out book by Colleen Adams, Tangram Puzzles: Describing and Comparing Attributes of Plane Geometric Shapes.

Tangram Puzzle #1 A Kite
Tangram Puzzle #2 A Dog
Tangram Puzzle #3 A Relaxing Cat
Tangram Puzzle #4 A Bat
Tangram Puzzle #5 A Horse Playing Soccer
Tangram Puzzle #6 A Circus Seal
Tangram Puzzle #7 A Christmas Tree
Tangram Puzzle #8 A Steam Boat
Tangram Puzzle #9 A Curious Turtle
Tangram Puzzle #10 A Flying Bee
Tangram Puzzle #11 A Scarecrow