Tangram

Brief History of Tangrams

The tangram is one of the historical disection puzzles originating from imperial China.
Various tangram patterns may be form from the simple geometric pieces of the tangram
puzzle. One documentation on tangrams was recorded in a Chinese book dated 1813
howe!er tangrams ha!e been know to ha!e e"isted much earlier in history. #nother
book $%ew &igures of the Tangram$ by 'han(Chiao was published in China in 181)
which contained 3*+ tangram patterns. These documentations were written during the
reign of emperor Chia(Ching during the time when tangrams were at the summit of its
popularity in China. Tangrams were called or $Chi(Chiao ,an$ meaning $the
se!en intriguing pieces$. -nown to the Chinese as the $wisdom puzzle$ tangrams ha!e
been well(known to the western world since the 1.th century. /ell(known people such
as 0dgar #llan ,oe %apoleon 1.0.2udeney and 'am 3oyd ha!e all shown great
interest in tangrams. 4y 181* tangrams had gain popularity in 0urope and #merica. 5n
fact the word tangram officially appeared in /ebster6s dictionary in 187+.
The Tangram Puzzle Set
The tangram puzzle set is composed of se!en pieces. One of the piece is a s8uare
another piece is a rhomboid and the other fi!e pieces are isosceles right triangles of
!arious sizes. Of these triangular pieces two are small size triangles one is a medium
sized triangle and and two are large size triangle. The area of a large size triangle is
twice the area of the medium size triangle. The area of the medium size triangle is
twice the area of an small size triangle. The area of the s8uare is also twice the area of
an small size triangle. The area of the rhomboid is the same as that of the s8uare. #ll
the angles in these pieces are either +) .9 or 13) degrees. :aking a tangram set from
a piece of s8uare board is easy.
Playing Tangrams
The instructions for playing tangrams are simple and !ery easy to understand. The
ob;ecti!e of the puzzle is to form a figure using the tangram pieces. ,eople find this
se!en(piece tangram puzzle fascinating and delightful because there are a large !ariety
of ways of putting these pieces together. <sing one6s own creati!ity !arious tangram
figures may be formed. 5n fact thousands and thousands of designs ha!e been created
o!er the years by ;ust rearranging these se!en tangram pieces.
Other interesting facts about Tangrams
The tangram pieces may be rearrange into !arious figures and designs. These designs
not only include simple geometric shapes shown below but also shapes of different
animals such as birds dogs and cat. The designs also include numerous other
shapes of popular ob;ects.
#s can be easily noted !arious simple polygonal shapes may be formed from se!en
basic pieces. 'ome of the simple polygonal shapes resulting from rearraging tangram
pieces include the following=
,erhaps the Chinese had in their obser!ations that the se!en basic tangram pieces
were the basis of the formation of !arious simple polygons and therefore can be used
to form numerous other shapes and e"traordinary images.
#lso to be noted is that the shapes of each of the se!en tangram pieces may be formed
from the se!en tangram pieces although resulting in a larger size !ersion. This means
that each of the se!en tangram pieces may further be subdi!ided into a set of the se!en
smaller tangram pieces.
One of the popular books on Tangrams is the $0ighth 4ook of Tan$ by 'am 3oyd an
american puzzle e"pert. This book contains around *99 tangram patterns. 3yod called
this the $eight$ book because he claimed that about four thousand years ago a Chinese
name Tan had compiled se!en books on Tangrams.
Convex Tangram Shapes
The polygon patterns from tangrams shown abo!e are con!e" shape patterns. 5n a
con!e" shape such as those shown abo!e a line segment drawn from any point on the
edge or within the shape to another point on the edge or within the shape will always be
within the shape. 5n 1.+> mathematicians pro!ed that there are only 13 possible
con!e" tangram patterns. 'i" of there were shown abo!e.
Next: Making Your Own Tangram Set
Other Links:
Mathematical Puzzles Logic Puzzles
Sudoku of the Da !uotation of the Da
Mathematical "ecreations
#lementar Math $lash
%ards
Sol&e these Tangram 'uzzles:
(ridge Swan
$ish Letter #
)exagon )orseman
*angaroo +lass
Duck Pi'e
(owl %amel
)elico'ter %row
S,uirrel +oose
)are "unning Man
)ouse %at
(oating Man Sitting Person
Shirt %andlestick
%hristmas Tree -ine +lass
.rrow "a//it
Dancer Mountain "ange
Letter % Sail/oat
+atewa Dou/le .rrow
S'ace %a'sule %hair
"ooster $err
Tangram Puzzle of the Da
Solutions to Tangrams
(rain Teasers and Puzzles
Tangram
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Tangram (disambiguation).
The tangram (hinese: ! pinyin: q qio bn! literally "seven boards of skill")
is a dissection pu##le consisting of seven $at shapes, called tans, %hich are put
together to form shapes. The ob&ective of the pu##le is to form a speci'c shape
(given only an outline or silhouette) using all seven pieces, %hich may not overlap.
(t %as originally invented in hina at some unkno%n point in history, and then
carried over to )urope by trading ships in the early *+th century. (t became very
popular in )urope for a time then, and then again during World War (. (t is one of the
most popular dissection pu##les in the %orld.
,*-,.-

)istor
"eaching the -estern world 0121341256s7
/ caricature published in France in *0*0, %hen the Tangram cra#e %as at its peak.
The caption reads: " 1Take care of yourself, you1re not made of steel. The 're has
almost gone out and it is %inter.1 1(t kept me busy all night. )2cuse me, ( %ill e2plain
it to you. 3ou play this game, %hich is said to hail from hina. /nd ( tell you that
%hat 4aris needs right no% is to %elcome that %hich comes from far a%ay.1 "
The tangram had already been around in China for a long time when it was first brought to
America by Captain M. Donnaldson, on his ship, Trader, in 1815. hen it doc!ed in Canton, the
captain was gi"en a pair of #ang$hsia$!%o%s Tangram boo!s from 1815.
&'(
They were then brought
with the ship to )hiladelphia, where it doc!ed in *ebruary 181+. The first Tangram boo! to be
published in America was based on the pair brought by Donnaldson.
The pu,,le was originally populari,ed by The Eighth Book Of Tan, a fictitious history of
Tangram, which claimed that the game was in"ented -,... years prior by a god named Tan. The
boo! included /.. shapes, some of which are impossible to sol"e.
&-(
over art from "The 0th 5ook of Tan", by 6am 7oyd, a spoof of the pu##le1s history
that began the Tangram ra#e in the Western World
The pu,,le e"entually reached 0ngland, where it became "ery fashionable indeed.
&'(
The cra,e
1uic!ly spread to other 0uropean countries.
&'(
This was mostly due to a pair of 2ritish Tangram
boo!s, The Fashionable Chinese Puzzle, and the accompanying solution boo!, Key.
&5(
#oon,
tangram sets were being e3ported in great number from China, made of "arious materials, from
glass, to wood, to tortoise shell.
&+(
Many of these unusual and e31uisite tangram sets made their way to Denmar!. Danish interest in
tangrams s!yroc!eted around 1818, when two boo!s on the pu,,le were published, to much
enthusiasm.
&/(
The first of these was Mandarinen 4About the Chinese 5ame6. This was written by
a student at Copenhagen 7ni"ersity, which was a non$fictional wor! about the history and
popularity of tangrams. The second, Der nye chinesisre Saadesil 4The new Chinese )u,,le
5ame6, consisted of ''8 pu,,les copied from The 8th 2oo! of Tan, as well as one original.
&/(
9ne contributing factor in the popularity of the game in 0urope was that although the Catholic
Church forbade many forms of recreation on the sabbath, they made no ob:ection to pu,,le
games such as the tangram.
&8(
The second craze in +erman and .merica 0128141856s7
Tangrams were first introduced to the 5erman public by industrialist *riedrich Adolf ;ichter
around 1881.
&8(
The sets were made out of stone or false earthenware,
&1.(
and mar!eted under the
name <The Anchor )u,,le<.
&8(
More internationally, the *irst orld ar saw a great resurgence of interest in Tangrams, on the
homefront and trenches of both sides. During this time, it occasionally went under the name of
<The #phin3<, an alternate title for the <Anchor )u,,le< sets.
&11(&1=(
Paradoxes
7oyd1s parado2
A tangram parado3 is an apparent dissection fallacy> Two figures composed with the same set of
pieces, one of which seems to be a proper subset of the other.
&1'(
9ne famous parado3 is that of
the two mon!s, attributed to Dudeney, which consists of two similar shapes, one with and the
other missing a foot.
&1-(
Another is proposed by #am ?oyd in The Eighth Book Of Tan>
The seventh and eighth 'gures represent the mysterious s8uare, built %ith seven
pieces: then %ith a corner clipped o9, and still the same seven pieces employed.
,*:-
9ther similar, but possible, apparent parado3es are in fact fallacious. *or e3ample, in the case of
the two mon!s mentioned abo"e, the foot is actually compensated for in the second figure by a
subtly larger body.
&1'(
Num/er of configurations
The *; conve2 shapes matched %ith Tangram set
9"er +5.. different tangram problems ha"e been compiled from 18th century te3ts alone, and
the current number is e"er$growing.
&1+(
The number is finite, howe"er. *u Traing ang and
Chuan$Chin @siung pro"ed in 18-= that there are only thirteen con"e3 tangram configurations
4configurations such that a line segment drawn between any two points on the configuration%s
edge always pass through the configuration%s interior, i.e., configurations with no recesses in the
outline6.
&1/(&18(
Pieces
Choosing a unit of measurement so that the se"en pieces can be assembled to form a s1uare of
side one unit and ha"ing area one s1uare unit, the se"en pieces are>
. large right triangles (hypotenuse , sides , area )
* medium right triangle (hypotenuse , sides , area )
. small right triangle (hypotenuse , sides , area )
* s8uare (sides , area )
* parallelogram (sides of and , area )
9f these se"en pieces, the parallelogram is uni1ue in that it has no reflection symmetry but only
rotational symmetry, and so its mirror image can only be obtained by flipping it o"er. Thus, it is
the only piece that may need to be flipped when forming certain shapes.
See also
Tiling pu##le
<stomachion
=athematical pu##le
"eferences
*. ^ 6locum, Jerry (.>>*). The Tao of Tangram. 5arnes ? @oble. p. +.
(65@ +A0B*BC;:*B>*:DB..
.. ^ Forbrush, William 5yron (*+*C). Manual of Play. Jacobs. p. ;*:.
http:EEbooks.google.comEFidGFpoW////(//J?pgG4/;*:?d8G
H..TheI/nchorI4u##leH..JvGonepage?8GH..TheH.>/nchorH.>4u##le
H..?fGfalse. Ketrieved *>E*;E*>.
;. L
a

b

c
6locum, Jerry (.>>;). The Tangram Book. 6terling. p. ;>.
(65@ >C+A.::>C*;C.
C. ^ ostello, =atthe% J. (*++D). The Greatest Puzzles of All Time. @e%
3ork: Mover 4ublications. (65@ >BC0DB.+..:B0.
:. ^ 6locum, Jerry (.>>;). The Tangram Book. 6terling. p. ;*.
(65@ >C+A.::>C*;C.
D. ^ 6locum, Jerry (.>>;). The Tangram Book. 6terling. p. C+.
(65@ >C+A.::>C*;C.
A. L
a

b
6locum, Jerry (.>>;). The Tangram Book. 6terling. pp. ++N*>>.
(65@ >C+A.::>C*;C.
0. ^ 6locum, Jerry (.>>;). The Tangram Book. 6terling. p. :*.
(65@ >C+A.::>C*;C.
+. L
a

b
http:EE%%%.archimedesBlab.orgEtangramagicusEpagetang*.html
*>. ^ Treasury Decisions Uner customs an other la!s" #olume $%.
Onited 6tates Mepartment <f The Treasury. *0+>N*+.D. p. *C.*.
http:EEbooks.google.comEFidG=eOW/P//(//J?pgG4/*C.*?lpgG4/*C.*?d8G
H..TheI/nchorI4u##leH..JvGonepage?8GH..TheH.>/nchorH.>4u##le
H..?fGfalse. Ketrieved +E*DE*>.
**. ^ Wyatt (.D /pril .>>D). "Tangram N The hinese 4u##le". 55.
http:EE%%%.bbc.co.ukEdnaEh.g.EalabasterE/*>C.;:+:. Ketrieved ; <ctober
.>*>.
*.. ^ 5raman, /rlette (.>>.). &is Aroun The 'orl Play(. John Wiley and
6ons. p. *>. (65@ +A0>CA*C>+0CA. http:EEbooks.google.comEF
idGf@no2(fJg:O?printsecGfrontcover?d8GQidsI/roundITheIWorldI4layR
?8. Ketrieved +E:E.>*>.
*;. L
a

b
Tangram 4arado2, by 5arile, =argherita, From =athWorld N /
Wolfram Web Kesource, created by )ric W. Weisstein.
*C. ^ Mudeney, S. (*+:0). Amusements in Mathematics. @e% 3ork: Mover
4ublications.
*:. ^ 7oyd, 6am (*+D0). The eighth book of Tan ) *++ Tangrams by ,am
-oy !ith an introuction an solutions by Peter #an .ote. @e% 3ork: Mover
4ublications. p. .:.
*D. ^ 6locum, Jerry (.>>*). The Tao of Tangram. 5arnes ? @oble. p. ;A.
(65@ +A0B*BC;:*B>*:DB..
*A. ^ Fu Traing Wang! huanBhih Ssiung (@ovember *+C.). "/ Theorem
on the Tangram". The American Mathematical Monthly 49 (+): :+DN:++.
doi:*>..;>AE.;>;;C>. J6T<K .;>;;C>.
*0. ^ Kead, Konald . (*+D:). Tangrams / 00+ Puzzles. @e% 3ork: Mover
4ublications. p. :;. (65@ >BC0DB.*C0;BC.
$urther reading
/nno, =itsumasa. Anno1s Math Games (three volumes). @e% 3ork: 4hilomel
5ooks, *+0A. (65@ >;++.**:*+ (v. *), (65@ >D+0**DA.> (v. .), (65@
>;++...ACT (v. ;).
5otermans, Jack, et al. The 'orl of Games/ Their 2rigins an 3istory" 3o! to
Play Them" an 3o! to Make Them (translation of 'erel 4ol s5ellet6es). @e%
3ork: Facts on File, *+0+. (65@ >0*D>.*0C0.
Mudeney, S. ). Amusements in Mathematics. @e% 3ork: Mover 4ublications,
*+:0.
Uardner, =artin. "=athematical UamesVon the Fanciful Sistory and the
reative hallenges of the 4u##le Uame of Tangrams", ,cienti7c American
/ug. *+AC, p. +0N*>;.
Uardner, =artin. "=ore on Tangrams", ,cienti7c American 6ep. *+AC, p. *0AN
*+*.
Uardner, =artin. The $n ,cienti7c American Book of Mathematical Puzzles
an Di4ersions. @e% 3ork: 6imon ? 6chuster, *+D*. (65@ >DA*.C::+A.
7oyd, 6am. ,am -oy1s Book of Tangram Puzzles 8The 9th Book of Tan Part :;.
=ineola, @e% 3ork: Mover 4ublications, *+D0.
6locum, Jerry, et al. Puzzles of 2l an .e!/ 3o! to Make an ,ol4e Them.
Me =eern, @etherlands: 4lenary 4ublications (nternational ()urope)!
/msterdam, @etherlands: /M= (nternational! 6eattle: Mistributed by
Oniversity of Washington 4ress, *+0D. (65@ >.+:+D;:>D.
6locum, Jerry, et al. The Tangram Book/ The ,tory of the <hinese Puzzle !ith
24er $+++ Puzzles to ,ol4e. @e% 3ork: 6terling 4ublishing ompany, .>>;.
(65@ *BC>.AB>C*;B:.
#xternal links
Wikimedia ommons has media related to:
Tangrams
"Tangram" by )nri8ue Weleny, Wolfram Memonstrations 4ro&ect
"@e% Tangram parado2es" by Uianni /. 6arcone, /rchimedes 7aboratory
4ro&ect
Ketrieved from "http:EEen.%ikipedia.orgE%ikiETangram"
Tangram
Tangram adalah permainan pu##le tertua yang tercatat dalam se&arah. Tangram
berasal dari hina.
=enurut salah satu cerita. /da seorang tukang keramik yang diperintah oleh Qaisar
untuk membuat motif lantai istana kaisar. Qarena pusing menentukan motif yang
cocok, akhirnya dia membuat tangram tersebut. Mari tangram dia bisa membuat
berbagai macam motif. Uambar di ba%ah memperlihatkan sebagian dari berbagai
macam motif tersebut.
/da banyak cerita tentang tangram. 6e&arah pastinya tidak ada yang tahu. Tangram
pertama kali tercatat pada literatur di hina pada tahun *0*; ,*-. 4embaca bisa
search di internet dengan key%ord XtangramY, akan keluar banyak gambar atau
cerita tentang tangram.
/da &uga orang yang mencari berapa banyak bentuk conve2 (cembung) yang bisa
dibentuk dari kepingBkeping tangram tersebut. 4roof by Fu Traing Wang dan huanB
hih Ssiung ,.- membuktikan bah%a &a%abannya adalah *; (tiga belas). "5entuk
conve2 itu digambarkan sebagai berikut: bila ada suatu gambar di kertas dan /nda
menggambar dua titik di dalam gambar tersebut ( lokasi titik boleh di mana sa&a,
asal masih di dalam gambar ), lalu menarik garis lurus antara dua titik tersebut, &ika
ternyata garis tersebut selalu berada di dalam gambar, maka gambar tersebut
adalah conve2. Uambar di ba%ah memperlihatkan bentuk conve2 yang dapat
disusun oleh kepingBkeping tangram. Jika /nda dapat mencari bentuk keB*C, /nda
mungkin bisa tercatat dalam se&arah.
Tangram adalah permainan pu##le yang sangat menyenangkan. Tidak hanya
menyenangkan tapi &uga melatih ima&inasi. =enarik bukanF Qarena dari tu&uh keping
tangram, bisa dibuat bermacamBmacam bentuk. Tanpa perlu pen&elasan lebih
dalam, dengan melihat contohBcontoh gambar di atas, sudah cukup &elas bagi
pembaca bah%a tangram bisa melatih ima&inasi.
(ni menyebabkan tangram cocok dipakai untuk pendidikan anak usia dini. Uambar
di ba%ah memperlihatkan, tangram digunakan pada sebuah TQ di /merika 6erikat
,;-.
/da paradoks di tangram. oba lihat gambar di ba%ah.
6iluet dua orang, samaBsama dibuat dari tu&uh keping tangram. 6atu berkaki, yang
satu lagi tidak. /pakah pembaca bisa membuat siluet dua orang tersebutF
5agaimana dengan kakinyaF Qe mana perginya kaki pada siluet tak berkakiF
4aradoks pada tangram ditemukan oleh Senry )rnest Mudeney (*> /pril *0:AN.C
/pril *+;>, =nglish author an mathematician), disebut 4aradoks Mudeney
(Dueney>s Parao?).
/pakah ima&inasi /nda sudah cukup baikF Ontuk latihan, /nda bisa mencoba
menyusun gambarBgambar di ba%ah ini. Tentunya dengan tangram kami yang
tersedia dalam . pilihan: dari kayu dan kain.....6elamat mencoba.....
"eferensi:
91: htt':;;en<wiki'edia<org;wiki;Tangram
95: htt':;;www<mathematische=/asteleien<de;tangrams<htm
9>: htt':;;kindergarten5<homestead<com;Thanksgi&ing<html
9?: (er/agai sum/er lain dari internet