Ming looks like she is into geometry. She said this was a first time doing a round design rather than leafy/flowery designs. I think it is just lovely - and I like her penmanship, too. She used a parallel pen.
So -- here is our puzzle for the geometrists.
What's the word for people who *do* geometry? Geometricologists?
I know the paper is flimsy and curled a bit - so it might look a little less than precise. But, I assure you that the first picture shows the exact pieces of paper - in the position they were before I cut them.
After they are rearranged - they do not take up the same area. How can that be?
CJ and DK (my brother) are the two people who tend to answer these types of questions. But there might be another whiz out there who can figure it out. Or maybe it's something we all learned in high school and have all forgotten.
This is the original. 13 square high - 5 squares wide.
Cut off the top 8 squares and move that triangle to the left.
Then make a vertical cut to make the pink triangle which is 5 high and 2 wide.
That leaves a rectangle which is 5 high and 3 wide.
Cut it as shown in the yellow and blue shapes.
Move yellow up.
This leaves the blank space that shows the blue paper background.
The pink triangle fits perfectly in the top
and the green triangle fits perfectly at the bottom.
Why is there one empty square?
And the answer better not be solar flares.
If anyone objects to my flimsy paper pattern -
I will be happy to make one out of sturdier paper.
The people who play with geometry are called Mathletes. I am not one of these, but I'll venture a guess. The blank square. The shape changed. The yellow and the blue side by side are a "wide" rectangle. Stacked on top of each other, still a rectangle but narrow and the two pieces don't fit together as they did in the original. Either that or one of the squares went to get coffee for the rest. Today, is National Coffee Day
ReplyDelete