Activity 1
Tangrams

The Tangram shapes were used for recreational activity in China thousands of years ago. The word Tangram is derived from tan, meaning Chinese, and gram, meaning diagram or arrangement. Tangrams are still used in many parts of the world for entertainment and can be found in many elementary and secondary schools in the United States and Canada.

The seven Tangram pieces are shown in the diagram at the right. Examine a set of the Tangrams and find the name of each of the five different pieces, list the angles of each piece, and write the area of each piece, assuming that the square has an area of one unit. Write your results in the spaces in the table below.

Fitting the Tangram Pieces

The seven Tangram pieces can be used to form many different geometric shapes by placing the pieces adjacent to each other. Cut out the set of Tangrams at the end of the activity and use these Tangrams to fill in the shapes below. Draw the outline of each piece on the shapes.

Filling the Square

Fitting the seven Tangram pieces into a square has been a popular puzzle for many years. This puzzle can often be found next to the checkout at the supermarket, usually made of plastic and selling for about a dollar. The puzzle is more difficult if there is no square frame to use as a guide or if the solver has had no previous experience with Tangrams.

Here is another puzzle to try at home which should be easier to solve once the above puzzle has been completed. Fill the square below with two complete sets of Tangrams.

Making Other Squares

Use the set of Tangrams to form a square using exactly 2 of the pieces. Draw the square and the outline of the pieces that make up the square. Repeat this for exactly 3 Tangram pieces, 4 Tangram pieces, and 5 Tangram pieces. Explain why a square cannot be formed with exactly 6 of the Tangram pieces. Hint: What are the measurements of each of the pieces?

Exactly 2 Pieces Exactly 3 Pieces
Exactly 4 Pieces Exactly 5 Pieces
Explain why a square cannot be formed from exactly 6 Tangram pieces.

Tangrams

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